TOY-MAKING 
AT  HOME 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  HUNDRED  TOYS 
FROM  ODDS  AND  END5 


BY  MORLEY  ADAMS 


NEW  YORK  :   FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 


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TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 


TOY-MAKING 
AT   HOME 

HOW  TO   MAKE   A   HUNDRED 
TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


BY 

MORLEY  ADAMS 


NEW    YORK 
FREDERICK   A.    STOKES   COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Printed  in   Great  Britain. 


t* 

A;. 

« • 


PREFACE 


THIS  work  has  been  compiled  with  the  assistance  of  Mr. 
Walter  Higgins,  the  well-known  instructor  in  woodwork. 

The  volume  fulfils  a  long-felt  want  in  that  it  supplies 
fascinating  amusement  for  evenings  at  home.  The  making 
of  toys,  is  an  engrossing  pastime,  and  the  home-made  toy 
is  invariably  more  novel  than  the  shop -bought  article  and  of 
superior  quality,  besides  which  there  is  always  a  satisfaction 
in  "  I  made  it  myself." 

The  purpose  of  the  book  is  to  give  simple  and  easily  under- 
stood instructions  and  plain  diagrams  and  sketches  for  making 
toys  from  the  odds  and  ends  that  are  usually  discarded  as  use- 
less. Matches,  Match  Boxes,  Cotton  Reels,  -Cocoa  Tins.  Cigar 
Boxes,  and  even  Egg  Shells  comprise  the  materials  from  which 
are  evolved  Shops,  Working  Models,  Dolls'  Furniture,  Boats. 
Steam  Engines,  Windmills,  and  scores  of  other  toys  dear  to 
the  hearts  of  boys  and  girls. 

Perhaps  the  chief  charm  of  the  occupation  is  that  literally 
dozens  of  toys  can  be  made  at  a  cost  of  less  than  a  penny. 
Every  toy  described  in  this  book  is  practicable,  and  can  be 
easily  made  by  "anyone  possessing  the  smallest  amount  of 
handicraft  skill.  At  the  same  time  the  instructions  are  such 
as  will  prove  of  the  utmost  value  to  instructors  of  handicraft 
classes. 

MORLEY  ADAMS. 


2065921 


TOY- MAKING  AT   HOME 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 

IN  every  household  there  are  countless  things  which  are  thrown 
away  immediately  they  have  served  one  purpose.  Cotton- 
reels  may  be  taken  as  an  instance.  It  does  not  occur  to  the 
majority  of  people  that  these  little  wooden  articles,  strongly 
made  and  well  finished,  may  he  put  to  some  use,  even  when  the 
cotton  has  been  wound  from  them.  Yet  from  them  quite  use- 
ful furniture  can  be  made  and  playthings  innumerable.  And 
so  it  is  with  many  other  things — match  boxes,  broken  clothes 
pegs,  cocoa  tins,  mustard  tins,  egg  shells,  cigar  boxes,  nut  shells, 
corks,  incandescent- mantle  cases,  old  broom  handles  :  there 
is  no  end  to  the  list. 

In  the  following  pages  we  have  set  out  to  explain,  largely 
to  boys  and  girls,  just  how  these  odds  and  ends  may  be  used 
for  the  construction  of  toys,  games,  and  interesting  models. 
The  list  is  not  by  any  means  complete  :  such  examples  as  are 
given  are  merely  suggestive  examples.  The  .boy  or  girl  who 
has  patiently  and  thoughtfully  made  some  of  them  will  be 
in  a  position  to  devise  and  construct  many  more  on  similar 
lines. 

Most. boys  and  girls  are  familiar  with  those  little  jxiper 
windmills,  which  turn  round  gaily  in  the  gentlest  breeze — the 
ones  which  the  rag-and-bonc  man  gives  in  exchange  for  an 
old  bottle.  They  make  a  capital  toy  for  baby  brothers  and 


2  TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 

sisters,  and  they  are  very  easy  to  make.     All  you  need  is  a 
six-inch  square  of  stiff  paper — coloured  for  preference — and  two 


FIG.  1. 


pieces  of  cardboard,  each  an  inch  square.     First,  you  draw  out 

your  square  as  in  Fig.  1,  and  then  cut  down  the  diagonals  nearly 

< 6 *--> 


to  the  centre  square.     Now  take  hold  of  a  corner,  and  fold  it 
over  to  the  centre.     Secure  it  there  with  a  small  dub  of  glue. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS        3 

Serve  each  of  the  other  corners  in  turn  in  similar  fashion.  Now 
glue  on  your  two  cardboard  squares — one  at  the  centre  of  the 
back  and  the  other  in  the  front,  covering  the  folded  corners 
(Fig.  2).  All  you  need  now  is  a  stout  pin  to  push  through  the 
centre  of  the  cards  into  the  end  of  a  stick. 


FIG.  :«. 

Now  if  you  nail  two  strips  of  wood  in  the  form  of  a  cross, 
and  pin  on  four  or  five  differently  coloured  wheels,  you  will 
have  a  jolly  little  toy  for  which  baby  will  thank  you  (Fig.  3). 

N.B. — We  shall  frequently  mention  the  word  "  glue  "  in 
the  course  of  this  little  volume  :  therefore  we  had  better  ex- 
plain just  what  we  mean.  Unless  we  state  definitely  other- 
wise, we  refer  to  the  prepared  glue  sold  in  tubes  under  various 


»  TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 

names — ''Seccotine/'  "  Lc  Page's  Liquid  Glue"'  and  so  on. 
These  adhesives  are  admirable  for  all  light  work.  They  act  best 
when  put  on  thinly,  and  allowed  partially  to  dty  before  the 
parts  are  pressed  together. 

A  very  interesting  little  toy,  which  you  can  make  in  a  few 
minutes,  is  the 

Colour  Wheel. — Take  a  piece  of  white  cardboard,  and 
from  it  cut  a  circle  about  3  inches  across.  Now  from  the 


Fir,    4. 

middle  of  this  cut  another  circle  about  ^  in.  across.  This  can 
be  done  quite  easily  by  putting  a  sharp-pointed  knife  blade 
into  the  compass  in  place  of  a  pencil. 

Divide  the  circle  into  seven  equal  parts,  and  paint  or 
crayon  the  sections  with  the  colours  of  the  rainbow — red, 
orange,  yellow,  green,  blue,  indigo,  violet. 

When  this  is  dry,  make  a  large  loop  of  string  and  put  it 
through  the  round  hole  of  the  card  ;  and  hold  the  ends  of  the 
loop  one  in  each  hand.  Now  if  you  turn  the  string  at  one  end 
as  if  you  were  turning  a  skipping  rope,  and  then  suddenly 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS        5 

pull  it  tight,  your  card  will  revolve  very  rapidly,  and  you  will 
find  that  instead  of  a  coloured  card  you  have  what  appears 
to  be  a  light  grey  one.  This  is  really  a  little  piece  of  science, 
for  it  shows  that  the  white  light  about  us  is  really  made  up  of 
the  different  colours  of  the  rainbow  (Fig.  4). 

A  simple  Counting  Top. — Take  a  piece  of  cardboard,  and 
on  it  draw  two  hexagons  having  1-inch  sides.  To  draw  a 
hexagon,  first  draw  a  circle  with  its  radius  equal" to  the  length 


!•  10.  5. 

of  the  side  of  the  hexagon.  Then  without  altering  the  com- 
pass measure  off  the  radius  six  times  round  the  circumference, 
and  join  the  neighbouring  points.  Now  cut  out  each  of  these 
and  from  each  one  cut  out  one  triangular  section  (Fig.  5). 
Scratch  lightly  along  the  other  lines  with  the  back  of  the 
knife-point.  Now  bend  these  so  as  to  form  two  five-sided 
pyramids.  Close  up  the  open  space  by  binding  the  edges 
together  with  a  strip  of  gummed  paper  (Fig.  6).  When  you 
have  done  this,  place  the  two  pyramids  base  to  base,  and  secure 
them  by  means  of  small  strips  of  gummed  paper  fixed  along 
the  edges.  Bind  all  the  edges  in  similar  fashion  for  the  sake 


r,  TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 

of  uniformity.     All  that  is  necessary  now  is  to  make  a  hole  at 
Ihe  apex  of  each  pyramid,  and  push  an  ordinary  safety  match 


through  (Fig.  7).     Now  if  you  twirl  the  match  in  your  fingers, 
and  release  it  suddenly,  the  top  will  spin  for  quite  a  long  time. 


Fio.  7. 


To  use  it  as  a  "  counting  top  "  or  "  dice  top  "  paint  the  numbers 
1  to  5  on  the  five  triangular  surfaces  of  the  upper  pyramid 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS        7 

Then  when  the  top  ceases  spinning,  the   uppermost  number 
is  the  one  which  counts. 

Tents  for  Toy  Soldiers. — Boys  who  play  with  lead  soldiers 
often  find  that,  in  making  up  a  game,  they  require  some  tents 


Fio.  S. 

for  the  camp.  These  are  quite  easily  made  either  from  paper 
or  from  calico.  Their  size  will  depend,  of  course,  upon  the 
size  of  the  soldiers  ;  and  it  will  be  quite  easy  to  construct 
them  to  measure  two  or  three  times  the  measurements  given 
here.  Here  is  a  picture  of  one  (Fig.  8). 

First  cut  out  a  cardboard  circle  for  the  base  of  the  tents, 
say  2  in.  radius.  Now  for  the  sloping  canvas  sides — the 
conical  part,  that  is — draw  out  another  circle,  this  time  with 


8  TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 

a  radius  of  4  in.  Only  a  part  of  this  will  be  used  ;  and 
to  know  just  how  much,  roll  the  base  circle  round  the  circum- 
ference of  the  larger  circle  until  it  has  completed  one  of  its 
own  revolutions  (see  Fig.  9).  In  cutting  this  out,  one  or  two 
tongues  should  be  left  jutting  out  from  the  circumference  : 
these  fold  over  the  edge  of  the  base  circle  and  secure  the  sloping 
sides  in  position.  All  we  need  now  is  a  thin  stick,  about 
4  in.  long,  to  act  as  a  centre  pole.  This  should  bo  glued 


to  the  centre  of  the  base,  and  should  have  the  sloping  sides 
glued  around  it.  A  little  paper  flag  at  the  top  will  complete 
the  little  structure. 

Most  boys,  and  not  a  few  girls,  love  to  play  at  "  soldiers^" 
and  there  is  no  reason  why  each  boy  should  not  make  himself 
a  complete  suit  of  armour,  so  that  the  game  may  be  more  real. 

The  Helmet. — With  care  this  is  not  at  all  difficult  to  make: 
what  difficulty  there  is  lies  in  the  adjustment  and  the  size. 
First  it  is  necessary  to  find  out  the  distance  round  the  head. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS        '.) 

This  can  be  done  with  a  piece  of  string  ;  or,  better  still,  with 
a  linen  inch-tape.  Suppose  the  distance  round  is  21  in.: 
then  the  helmet  can  be  made  in  seven  sections,  each  3  in. 
wide  at  the  base.  When  these  are  brought  together,  they 
converge  at  the  top  to  form  a  typical  Norman  headpiece 
(Fig.  10). 


Fio.  10. 

Using  stiff  paper,  cut  the  seven  sections  as  in  Fig.  11. 
These  should  be  glued  together,  so  that  the  connecting  flanges 
are  inside.  (N.B. — In  doing  this,  it  is  very  necessary  to  let 
the  glue  get  nearly  dry  before  pressing  the  pieces  together  : 
if  it  is  quite  fresh,  the  strain  will  pull  the  pieces  apart.)  Then 
at  the  apex  of  the  sections  glue  on  a  circular  piece  of  cardboard, 


10 


TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 


about   1|  in.  across.     For  the  ring  at  the  base,  cut  a  strip, 
just   about  22  in.    long,  and   having  ornamented   it  in  any 

fashion  you  please, 
glue  the  two  ends 
together  so  as  to 
form  a  circlet  which 
will  just  go  round 
the  sections.  Fix 
this  to  the  seven 
-sections  with  dabs 
of  glue. 

All  that  is  necessary  now  is  a  coating  of  aluminium  paint 
to  give  just  that  real  dull  metallic  appearance.     If  this  paint 


Fio.  11. 


Flo.  12. 


is  not  available,  you  can  cover  with  silver  paper,  but  this 
is  not  nearly  as  effective. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


11 


The  Breastplate. — While  there  is  really  less  to  do.  and  fewer 
sections  to  adjust,  this  presents  quite  as  much  difficulty  as  the 
helmet.  It  is  best  made  in  two  sections.  The  exact  shape 
can  only  be  decided  by  trial  :  roughly,  it  is  that  shown  in 
Fig.  12.  The  best  method  of  procedure  is  to  cut  out  two  of 
these  in  newspaper,  and  fix  them  together  with  doll-pins,  and 
then  try  them  on  in  much  the  same  way  as  a  tailor  fits  a  waist- 
coat— altering  pins  and  cutting  out  shapes  until  the  requisite 
fit  is  obtained.  When  this  is  done  the  two  final  sections  can  be 
cut  out  in  cardboard  (not  omitting  flanges),  glued  together 
and  painted.  If  you  are  good  at  painting,  you  can  ornament 
the  two  sides  with  a  heraldic  device  in  crimson  or  gold. 

To  fix  it,  when  wearing,  strings  are  used.  Small  holes  are 
bored  at  the  four  ends  (and  eyelets  fixed  in,  if  you  can  do 
so)  and  knotted  strings  passed 
through.  Tie  the  bottom  pair 
across  the  back  with  a  knot  (not 
a  "  grannie  '")  Now  take  one  of 
the  ends  of  this,  and  tie  it  with 
a  string  from  one  of  the  shoulder 
pieces.  It  the  other  shoulder 
piece  be  tied  in  similar  fashion 
to  the  other  back  string,  then 
the  breastplate  will  be  held  cor- 
rect ly  in  position .  The  strings  and 
all  the  back  gear  will  be  covered 
by  the  cloak  and  mantle,  similar 
to  that  which  knights  in  olden 
days  wore  over  their  armour. 

Before  you  put  the  breast- 
plate on  you  can  tie  a  towel  or 
apron  to  come  just  to  the  knees 


Fio. 


this  will  take  the  place  of 


the  "  surcoat  "  (and  serve  to  hide  your  knickers). 


1-J 


TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 


For  "greaves"  or  log -armour  you  can  cut  out  and  paint 
cardboard  shapes,  like  those  shewn  in  Fig.  l.T  These,  when 
iixed  with  string,  look  quite  well. 

While  we  are  talking  of  soldiers,  we  may  as  well  give 
details  of 

A  War  Game. — Most  boys  are  familiar  with  the  game  known 
as  "  Tiddley-winks,"'  in  which  the  object  is  to  make  small  bone 


Fio.   14. 

counters  hop  into  a  cup  by  pressing  their  edges  with  a  large 
bone  counter. 

These  materials  can  be  used  for  a  very  interesting  war 
game,  consisting  of  the  siege  of  a  fort.  The  fort  is  simply  a 
front  elevation,  similar  to  that  shown  in  Fig.  14.  This  is 
drawn  out  in  pencil  on  a  piece  of  stout  cardboard  (or  fret  wood) 
and  coloured  in  with  paints  or  crayons.  The  windows  are  then 
cut  out  ;  and  the  whole  thing  made  to  stand  upright  by  the 
addition  of  two  or  three  triangular  supports  (Fig.  15).  These 


TOYS    FltCm    ODDS    AND    ENDS  '13 

are  hinged  on  to  the  back  by  means  of  strong  tape  or  canvas, 
so  that  the  whole  thing  can  pack  up  flat. 

Each  player  in  turn  place's  his  small  counters  (generally 
six)  anywhere  in  front  of  the  fortress.  He  is  now  the  attack- 
ing party,  and  his  object  is  to  shoot  his  counters  through 
the  different  windows.  If  he  succeeds  in  sending  a  counter 
through  a  window,  then  lie  "  kills  "  that  number  of  the  enemv. 


Fin.    IS. 

The  winner  may  be  either  the  person  who  secures  the  greatest 
number  of  '''  kills  ''  in  a  certain  number  of  attempts — twenty- 
four,  for  instance — or  the  person  who  first  succeeds  in  scoring 
say  50  "kills."  Any  shot  missing  the  fort  entirely- — i.e.  going 
right  over  or  missing  at  the  sides — is  a  wasted  shot,  and 
counts  one  off  the  player's  score. 

We  propose  to  describe  how  to  construct  a  simple 
Toy  Cannon — one  quite   easily  made  at  a  negligible  cost 
and  yet  quite  effective.     The  only  extra  cost  will  be  that  of  a 


14 


TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 


piece  of  strong  elastic  :  the  remainder  being  made  of  such 
things  as  cigar-  or  chocolate-box  wood.  Fig.  16  shows  the 
finished  article  ;  and  a  careful  study  of  this  illustration 
will  make  clear  much  of  the  method  of  manufacture. 


Km.   10. 

We  commence  with  the  stand.  This  is  quite  simple,  being 
composed  of  five  pieces  of  cigar-box  wood,  a  rectangular  base, 
two  sides  cut  as  shown,  and  two  small  end-pieces  to  give  the 
sides  stability.  The  measurements  you  can  decide  for  your- 
self :  we  suggest  a  base  5  in.  long  and  2  in.  wide,  and  side 

about  2£  or  3  in.  high,  as  being  suit- 
able to  the  thickness  of  cigar-box 
wood. 

The  cannon  itself  is  not  very  diffi- 
cult, if  made  square  instead  of  cylin- 
drical. The  barrel  is  composed  of  four 
pieces  of  thin  wood  glued  together 
as  shown  in  Fig.  17.  The  pieces  are 
about  6  in.  long,  and  are  cut  and  fitted  to  such  a  width  as 
will  leave  a  square  hole  in  which  the  rod  can  move  easily.  On 
the  under  side  of  this  barrel  are  fixed  two  pieces  of  wood— 


y 


Fio.   17. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS       15 

one  about  1|  in.  long  and  f  in.  wide  at  the  end  near  the  mouth  : 
to  this  the  elastic  will  be  fixed.  The  other,  a  piece  about  l\ 
in.  long  and  square  in  section,  is  fixed  about  midway  along 
the  barrel,  and  will  act  as  an  axle  on  which  the  cannon  can 
swing. 

The  rod  by  which  the  shot  is  ejected  should  be  square  in 
section,  and  about  o  in.  long.  At  the  rear  end  of  it  should  bo 
h'xcd  two  side-pieces  to  act  as  stops  to  prevent  the  elastic- 
forcing  the  rod  too  far  into  the  barrel.  A  nail  driven  through 
these  two  pieces  will  prevent  the 

clastic    slipping    out    each    time    the        :~7~"~~7JI  ~ -=~    ' s 

cannon  is  fired  (Fig.  18).  \.      r       r^-~  — 

All  that  remains  now  is  the  fixing 
of   the  elastic.     It  should  be  slipped 

through  the  slot  at  the  end  of  the  rod.  and  the  two  ends  fixed 
as  shown  in  the  first  illustration. 

If  desired,  this  cannon  can  be  used  in  connection  with  the 
skittles  as  described  on  page  30,  and  in  fact  the  pegs  can  be 
quite  easily  carved  into  the  similitude  of  soldiers  and  used  for 
the  game.  It  can  also  find  a  place  in  the  "  cokernut  shy" 
described  on  page  31. 

Have;  you  ever  tried 

Making  Pictures  with  Matches? — This  is  a  very  interest- 
ing occupation,  and  one  which  will  fully  test  your  ingenuity 
and  your  patience.  Instead  of  using  lines  drawn  with  a  crayon 
to  suggest  a  certain  object,  you.  replace  these  lines  with  match 
sticks,  bent  and  straight,  and  so  obtain  nearly  the  same  effect. 
You  can  start  with  the  plain  outline  of  some  simple  object 
such  as  a  sailing  boat  or  a  truck  or  a  house,  and  you  can 
then  proceed  to  more  difficult  shapes,  learning  how  to 
suggest  masses  of  shadow  by  placing  match  sticks  closely 
together. 


1(5 


TOY-MAKIXC!    AT    HOME 


In  actual  practice,  you  got  a  large  sheet  of  brown  paper, 
and  move  the  matches  about  until  the  right  position  is  ob- 


Fio.   19. 


tained  :  then  you  fix  the  matches  to  the  paper  one  by  one  by 
means  of  a  dab  of  glue.     In  time  you  will  astonish  everybody 


FIG.  20. 


(yourself  included)  by  the  ease  with  which  you   can  build  up 
really    intricate   pictures.      Specimens   accurately    clone    and 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


17 


tastefully    mounted    make    very    acceptable    little    presents 
(Fig.  19). 

Deft  fingers  and  a  big  fund  of  patience  render  it  quite 
possible  to  construct 

Models  from  Match  Sticks,  with  the  aid  of  just  one  or  two 
accessories  such  as  paper  and  glue.  Placed  side  by  side,  and 

_  3" „ 


2*' 


Via.  21. 

glued  to  each  other,  and  to  a  cardboard  or  paper  foundation, 
matches  (particularly  the  larger  sort)  give  quite  an  impression 
of  solidity — which  you  will  notice  if  you  refer  to  the  picture  of 
the  cupboard  given  in  Fig.  20.  In  this  a  cardboard  founda- 
tion is  made  according  to  Fig.  21,  and  the  matches  cut  to  tho 
correct  lengths  and  glued  into  position.  In  making  the  foun- 
dation, draw  out  carefully  as  shown,  cut  through  the  plain 
lines,  and  scratch  along  the  dotted  lines.  Then  bend  into 


18  TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 

shape,  and  secure  by  means  of  strips  of  gummed  tape  or 
paper. 

To  suggest  the  panel  in  the  door,  glue  matches  round  the 
outside  edges  as  shown,  and  leave  the  cardboard  showing  in 
the  centre.  If  you  want  the  door  to  open  outwards,  you  will 
have  to  bevel  the  edges  of  the  two  matches  where  the  cup- 
board bends,  because,  by  the  nature  of  the  model,  the  hinge 
(that  is,  the  cardboard  itself)  is  on  the  inside. 

In  similar  fashion  you  can  make  countless  little  objects — 
all  varieties  of  dolls'  furniture  and  fittings,  money  boxes, 
trinket  cases,  &c.  If  the  matches  are  stained  with  bright 
colours,  and  tastefully  arranged,  and  the  whole  varnished, 
some  splendid  effects  can  be  obtained. 

Talking  thus  of  matches  leads  us  to  the  description  of 
another  model  in  connection  with  the  same  articles.  This 
is  a 

Xovel  Match  Striker. — Any  article  which  is  useful  makes 
a  desirable  present,  especially  if  it  has  about  it  a  certain  amount 
of  novelty.  For  instance,  a  match  holder  makes  a  nice  little 
gift,  and  is  generally  appreciated.  If,  however,  it  is  of  a 
type  which  the  recipient  has  never  seen,  it  will  be  doubly 
welcome. 

One  rather  novel  match  holder  and  striker  can  be  made 
in  the  following  way.  Obtain  a  funny  picture— for  prefer- 
ence, one  that  has  a  large  figure  in  the  foreground.  Fig.  22 
shows  the  type  of  picture  we  mean.  Glue  this  on  to  a  piece 
of  stout  cardboard.  Suppose  the  picture  shows  a  man's  head. 
Then  let  his  beard  act  as  the  striker.  To  secure  this,  cut  out 
a  piece  of  fine  sandpaper,  exactly  the  shape  of  the  man's 
beard  (or  whatever  it  may  be),  and  glue  it  into  position  on  the 
picture.  Then  at  the  side  glue  on  a  little  holder  for  the  matches. 
Tliis  can  be  made  of  cardboard  specially,  or  an  ordinary  match- 


TOYS  FRO-M  ODDS  AND  ENDS       li» 

box  cover  can  have  the  bottom  stopped,  and  be  glued  on.  As 
far  as  possible  this  should  be  a  part  of  the  picture. 

All  sorts  of  pictures  can  be  done  in  this  fashion  :  dogs, 
with  strikers  on  the  tail  ;  pigs,  with  strikers  on  the  back  ; 
elephants  ;  grotesque  men,  &c. 

If  you  like  you  can  glue  the  picture  on  to  fretwood.  and  cut 


out  the  figure  or  a  part  of  it,  and  arrange  it,  so  that  it  will 
stand  upright  on  a  wooden  base.  This  will  tax  your  own 
ingenuity. 

There  is  in  every  house  one  thing  out  of  which  the  enter- 
prising boy  or  girl  can  make  any  number  of  models  and  toys  : 
that  is  the  empty  match  box.  Its  shape  and  formation  lend 


•20  TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 

themselves  to  the  construction  of  all  sorts  of  things — houses, 
trams,  dolls'  furniture,  &c.  &c. — the  only  other  requisites 
being  a  sharp  knife,  a  ruler,  one  or  two  pieces  of  cardboard 
(or  better  still,  thin  pine  veneer),  a  number  of  large  matches 
(or  better  still,  match  stales).1 

You  can  start  with  the  simplest  form  of 

Railway  Truck,  consisting  merely  of  the  inner  part,  or 
tray  of  a  match  box,  with  two  match-stick  axles  glued  across 
the  bottom,  and  four  cardboard  wheels  secured  in  position  by 
means  of  "doll  pins"  (Fig.  23)  ;  and  then  you  can  proceed 


J-'lU.     I'.'J. 

to  the  most  elaborate  vehicles,  bridges,   buildings,  furniture, 
machines,  &c. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  method,  we  show  how  to  put  together 
a  small  overhead 

Tram  Car. — In  the  first  place  you  want  two  pieces  of 
veneer  or  cardboard,  measuring  11|  by  4|  in.  and  11£  by  5  in. 
—to  act  respectively  as  the  lower  and  upper  decks.  The 
actual  method  of  construction  can  best  be  understood  by  a 
careful  study  of  Fig.  24.  The  lower  deck  rests  on  four  card- 
board wheels.  These  are  fixed  by  means  of  doll  pins  to  two 
wooden  axles  (match  stales)  glued  right  across  the  under  side 

1  These  match  "  stales,"  which  urc  very  useful  in  toy-making,  can  be  pur- 
chased from  JByrant  it  May,  Fairliclil  Work.s,  Bow,  London,  E. ,  at  1*.  per  bundle 
of  1500.  The  piue  vuiieer  costs  Is.  ij«/.  per  dozen  pieces,  each  3  ft.  (5  in.  lonir. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


:M 


of  the  lower  deck.  On  this  the  structure  is  built  up  with 
match  boxes.  Three  covers  are  placed  lengthways  along  each 
side  and  glued  into  position.  Then  above  these  come  five 
match  trays,  which,  when  standing  up.  take  up  just  the  same 
space.  These  are  glued  into  position,  facing  outwards,  and 
projecting  about  1  in.  beyond  the  under  covers. 


Jb'ic.  24. 

Across  the  top  of  the  two  sides  so  formed  is  glued  the 
second  sheet  of  yeneer  or  cardboard,  11 J  by  5  in.,  to  form  the 
upper  deck.  Five  covers  placed  end  to  end  exactly  make  up 
a  side  for  this,  and  one  at  each  end  completes  the  superstruc- 
ture. Two  covers,  placed  end  to  end,  make  a  suitable  back 
and  front  for  the  lower  deck,  while  two  pieces  of  veneer,  3| 
by  4]  in.,  effectively  close  up  the  inside  of  the  car. 

The  trolley  pole  is  provided  by  a  wooden  skewer,  glued 
to  the  lower  deck,  and  passing  through  a  hole  in  the  centre 


22  TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 

of  the  upper.  That  completes  the  tram  for  all  practical  pur- 
poses. If  you  desire  to  make  your  model  more  elaborate, 
you  can  construct  a  cardboard  or  wooden  stairway  at  each  end, 
connecting  the  upper  and  lower  decks  ;  and  you  can  replace 
the  sheets  of  veneer  at  each  end  of  the  inside  by  properly  con- 
structed doorways  ;  and  so  on. 


Another  excellent  toy,  constructed  with  match  boxes— 
and  one  very  much  appreciated  by  little  brothers  and  sisters 
— is  the 

Model  Stores. — Once  again  this  will  be  best  understood 
by  reference  to  the  illustration  (Fig.  25).  The  stores  con- 
sist of  a  counter  and  a  back  fitment — the  two  mounted  on  a 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS       23 

base  board.  For  the  counter,  five  complete  match  boxes 
should  be  glued  side  by  side  and  then  mounted  on  six  empty 
covers.  The  trays  of  the  five  complete  boxes  should  then  be 
given  handles  to  make  them  into  drawers.  For  these  handles 
nothing  can  beat  a  boot  button.  The  small  metal  loop  is 
pushed  through  a  hole  in  the  end  of  the  tray,  and  then  secured 
in  position  by  means  of  a  tiny  wooden  wedge  pushed  through 
the  loop  on  the  inside. 

The  back  fitment  consists  of  a  block  of  twenty  covers,  five 
in  a  row,  and  four  rows  deep.  These  are  glued  into  position. 
The  two  lower  rows  are  deprived  of  their  trays  to  make  storage 
partitions,  and  the  two  upper  are  fitted  with  handles  as  above. 
Surmounting  this  block  is  an  upper  fitment  consisting  of  five 
trays  glued  together  so  as  to  stand  upright  at  the  back  of  the 
block,  leaving  a  free  shelf  in  front  (as  in  most  grocers'  shops) 
Finally  there  is  a  row  of  three  trays  placed  endways  -on  the 
top  of  the  five  just  mentioned. 

For  "  playing  at  shops  "  a  little  model  like  this  is  invalu- 
able. 

A  Red-Cross  Cart. — For  this  a  large  empty  match  tray  is 
required.  Across  the  under  side  a  short  length  of  match  stale 
is  glued,  to  act  as  an  axle  for  the  two  wheels.  These  can  be 
cut  from  either  veneer  or  cardboard.  A  good  plan  is  to  cut 
out  a  circle  in  fairly  stiff  cardboard,  and  glue  a  covering  of 
veneer  on  each  side  ;  this  adds  to  the  appearance  of  the  wheel 
and  makes  it  stiffer.  If  veneer  alone  is  used,  two  circles  must 
be  cut  out  for  each  wheel,  and  glued  together  with  the  grain 
at  right  angles.  The  wheels  should  be  fixed  in  position  with 
doll  pins. 

For  the  tilt  a  piece  of  veneer  bent  over  and  glued  to  the 
inner  sides  of  the  match  box  will  do  quite  well.  The  red  cross 
may  be  painted  on.  but  will  look  considerably  better  if  cut 


24 


TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 


from  some  light  red  paper  and  stuck  on.  All  that  remains 
is  to  supply  the  shafts.  For  this  two  pieces  of  stale  of  the 
requisite  length  should  be  glued  to  the  under  side  of  the  bod}* 
of  the  cart.  Fig.  26  shows  the  completed  model. 

Another  military  model,  slightly  more  difficult  to  adjust,  is 
A  Maxim  Gun. — For  this  two  wheels,  each  about  '21  in. 

across,  must  be  constructed  in  the  manner  described  above. 
The  body  of  the  machine  is  easier  to  make  than  describe. 

Fig.  27  shows  the  under  side.     A  small   match  box  is  take/i 


FIG.  i'u. 

and  along  one  long  edge  of  the  top  a  piece  of  stale  is  glued, 
projecting  \  in.  at  each  end.  This  stale  is  the  axle.  Two 
full-length  stales  are  then  glued  so  that  they  meet  at  the  end 
furthest  from  the  axle.  To  render  these  projecting  pieces 
more  stable,  a  triangular  piece  of  veneer  is  glued  across  them 
at  the  place  of  meeting. 

The  two  wheels  are  then  fixed  in  position  by  means  of  doll 
pins.  For  the  front  of  the  machine  a  screen  is  required,  and 
a  piece  of  veneer  or  card  is  cut  as  shown  in  Fig.  28,  and  glued 
to  the  front  edge  of  the  match  box.  Through  the  hole  in  this 
screen  will  project  the  actual  gun  itself.  For  this  a  piece  of 


TOYS    FROM    ODDS    AND    ENDS  25 

wooden  skewer  or  slender  dowel  will  do.     This  can  be  at- 
tached to  the  top  of  the  box  by  means  of  glue,  and  can  be 


match 
Stales 


Fia.  27. 

wedged  up  into  a  horizontal   position   if    found  to  slant  too 
much. 


A  coat  of  dull  grey  paint  will  add  greatly  to  the  realistic 
appearance  of  this  interesting  little  toy. 


26  TOY-MAKING    AT   HOME 

Many  other  things  can  be  made,  too,  for  use  when  playing 
with  toy  soldiers.  One  such  model  is 

A  Step  Bridge,  as  shown  in  Fig.  29.  This  is  a  very  pretty 
little  model,  and  one  quite  delightful  to  make.  For  it  we  re- 
quire four  If  in.  or  2J  in.  match  boxes,  a  piece  of  cardboard 
or  veneer,  and  some  match  stales. 

The  cardboard  should  be  cut  to  the  width  of  the  match 
box  that  is,  either  If  or  2£  in.,  and  to  a  length  of  41  in. 


Fio.  L'O. 


At  each  end  of  this  should  be  glued  the  side  of  a  match  box. 
In  this  way  the  actual  bridge  itself  is  formed.  The  step  is 
provided  at  each  end  by  a  match  box,  lying  down,  and  glued 
to  the  standing  box. 

The  remaining  task  is  the  cutting  and  fitting  of  the  match 
stales  to  provide  the  railings — and  this  is  the  part  requiring 
great  care.  Reference  to  the  sketch  will  give  a  much  better 
idea  of  the  design  than  any  amount  of  explanation.  The 
stales  will  be  cut  to  the  following  lengths:  two  at  4|  in.,  eight 
at  2 i  in.,  and  four  at  2  in.  You  can  finish  oil  votir  model  bv 

£»  *  •  * 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS       27 

pointing  some  of  the  stales  ;  but  this  is  not  at  all  necessary 
if  you  have  used  a  sharp  knife  and  made  clean  cuts.  If  in 
fitting  up  the  stales  you  find  the  glue  is  not  sufficient,  you  can 
strengthen  the  important  joints  by  use  of  doll  pins. 

One  other  splendid  use  to  which  match  boxes  and  stales  can 
be  put  is  the  provision  of  the  lighter  sorts  of  furniture  for  the 


Vm.  30. 

dolls'  house.     We  give  two  examples  typical  of  the  extent  to 
which  these  simple  materials  may  be  applied. 

A  Doll's  Umbrella  Stand  is  a  very  happy  little  idea — 
very  simple  but  extremely  effective.  At  the  two  ends  of  a 
small  match-box  tray,  long  stales  are  glued,  projecting  under- 
neath to  act  as  short  legs  to  keep  the  tray  from  the  ground. 
Near  the  top  of  these  upright  stales,  four  others  are  fixed  to 
act  as  a  strengthening  frame.  These  last  should  be  secured  in 


28 


TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 


place  with  doll  pins  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  dab  of  tube 
glue.  Then  across  the  frame  so  made  should  be  fixed  one  or 
two  short  lengths  of  stale  in  order  to  divide  the  stand  into  two 
or  three  compartments.  Fig.  30  shows  the  completed  stand. 

A  Doll's  Fender  is  another  article  of  similar  type.  For  this 
we  require  a  cardboard  or  veneer  base  and  a  number  of  stales. 
The  base  is  cut  out  so  as  to  measure  at  the  most  5  in.  in  length  ; 
5  in.  by  1^  in.  is  a  very  suitable  size.  Now  on  three  sides 
this  will  have  a  rail,  constructed  with  stales  alone.  A  pillar 
is  required  about  J  in.  from  each  corner  :  this  pillar  should 
bo  about  5  in.  high.  Stretching  from  pillar  to  pillar  and  glued 


Fie.  ai. 

to  the  base  will  be  three  pieces — one  a  long  one,  approximately 
4|  in.  long,  and  the  other  two  short  ones,  about  f  in.  in 
length.  Above  these,  and  not  far  below  the  tops  of  the  pillars, 
will  be  fixed  a  parallel  series  of  long  and  short  rails,  fixed  into 
position  with  doll  pins  and  glue.  Very  short  pieces  glued  into 
an  upright  position  between  the  two  long  parallel  rails  add  to 
the  stability  of  the  structure  and  improve  the  appearance 
(Fig.  31).  If  you  can  stain  the  different  pieces  with  black  and 
brown  to  represent  iron  and  copper,  then  a  very  effective 
representation  of  a  fender  will  be  obtained. 

With  a  little    ingenuity  a   set  of   fireirons — poker,  tongs, 
and  shovel — can  be  devised  and  constructed  from  match  stales. 


In  similar  fashion  countless  other  objects  can  be  copied  in 
miniature  with  most  pleasing  resulU.     We  have  not  space  here 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS       i>!) 

to  detail  the  construction  of  any  more  ;  but  we  would  suggest 
that  some  of  the  following  might  be  attempted  :  bedstead, 
table,  chair,  deck  chair  (folding),  camp  bed  (folding). 

The  construction  of  one  or  two  of  these  will  doubtless  sug- 
gest many  more,  and  reveal  to  the  reader  the  boundless 
possibilities  of  this  peculiarly  fascinating  pastime. 

There  is  another  broken  household  article  on  which  the 
young  toy-maker  may  not  cast  eye?  of  scorn,  and  that  is  the 


Flu.  3:.'. 

broken  clothes  peg.  In  skilful  hands,  this  is  capable  of  re- 
construction to  very  useful  ends. 

In  the  first  place,  if  you  can  use  a  pocket-knife  with  some 
degree  of  skill,  you  will  be  able  to  chip  out  of  a  few  broken 
pegs  quite  a  respectable  set  of 

Chess  Men. — The  pegs  must  be  sawn  across  cleanly  just 
through  the  centre  of  the  knob  end  :  they  will  then  stand 
upright.  A  few  clean  cuts  with  a  pocket-knife  will  quite 
easily  suggest  a  king  or  a  castle  or  a  bishop.  The  knight  will. 


30  TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 

of  course,  provide  most  in  the  way  of  difficulty — as  he  is  gener- 
ally shown  with  a  horse's  head.  A  few  painstaking  attempts, 
however,  should  result  in  the  obtaining  of  a  credible  likeness. 
Fig.  32  shows  the  construction  of  a  "  pawn." 

Skittle  Men. — Another  piece  of  work  for  the  pocket-knife 
expert  is  the  provision  of  a  set  of  funny  skittle  men  for 
use  in  the  game  of  catapult  skittles  (see  below). 
These  can  be  cut  out  to  any  quaint  shape,  and 
may  be  caricatures  of  well-known  people,  or  of 
trades,  &c.  Much  amusement  can  be  got  out  of 
the  cutting  and  painting  of  these  grotesque  little 
figures.  Hats  can  be  provided  for  them  by  ujlue- 
ing  on  little  rings  of  cardboard  (Fig.  33). 

.1  Catapult  Game. — Probably  every  boy  knows 
what  a  catapult  is — and  what  fun  there  is  in  the 
using  of  it.  Happy  young  fingers  pull  back  the 

rUi.   '$3. 

powerful  clastic,  and  bright  ej'es  watch  the  stone 
go  whizzing  away.  There  is  a  fluttering  of  white  wings : 
something  falls  ;  and  there,  lying  in  the  road,  is  a  motion- 
less lump  of  flesh  and  feathers  -all  that  remains  of  what 
was  a  beautiful  little  bird,  pouring  out  its  heart  in  joyful  song. 

Boys  who  think  for  a  minute  will  not  want  to  use  the  cata- 
pult in  that  cruel  fashion  :  they  will  prefer  a  game  in  which 
no  harm  is  done,  in  which  no  innocent  creature  is  harmed,  but 
which  provides  just  as  much  fun.  "  Catapult  skittles  "  is  such 
a  game. 

It  consists  simply  of  a  board  with  a  catapult  at  one  end,  and 
a  set  of  skittles  at  the  other.  The  broken  peg  skittles  dealt 
with  above  will  do  admirably  for  this  (Fig.  34). 

The  catapult  itself  can  also  be  made  with  two  pegs.  These 
should  be  cut  off  cleanly  at  the  forks.  Two  holes,  about  3  in. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


apart,  should  then  be  bored  in  the  base  board  (for  this,  a  piece 
of  plank  about  3  ft.  or  4  ft.  long  will  do  quite  well),  and  the 
pegs  screwed  on  (see  Fig.  39  on  page  34). 


Via.  34. 

For  ammunition  all  you  need  is  an  unlimited  number  ot 
little  pieces  of  cardboard,  folded  in  two.  These  carry  well, 
are  quite  heavy  enough  to  upset  the  skittles, 
and.  above  all,  are  not  likely  to  hurt,  even 
if  they  do  strike  a  player. 

If  you  wish  to  vary  the  game  slightly, 
you  can  rig  up  a  "  cokernut  shy  "  in  place 
of  the  skittles.  This  you  will  find  very 
popular  at  Christmas  time,  particularly  if 
you  play  for  the  nuts.  • 

For  this  you  want  some  wire  hoops  on 
which  to  stand  the  nuts.     To  make  these, 
take  a  piece  of  Stiff  wire  about  5  in.  long 
and  bend  one  end  in  the  shape  of  a  small 
circle,  about  \  in.  across.     Now  bend  this 
loop    so    that    it    is    at    right    angles    to 
the  wire  ;    then  when  the  wire  is  upright    the   circle  will    be 
horizontal  (Fig.  35).     Sharpen  the  other  end  with  a  file.     Make 
three  or  four  like  this,  and  then  some  more  an  inch  shorter. 


32  TOY-MAKING   AT    HOME 

and  a  third  lot  two  inches  shorter.  These  must  then  be  driven 
into  the  other  end  of  the  catapult  board  so  that  they  are  not 
too  close  together  ;  otherwise  the  game  is  too  easy. 

Now  all  you  need  is  a  cardboard  shelter.  This  can  be 
oblong  at  the  ends  and  triangular  at  the  sides  ;  but  the  shape 
is  quite  immaterial  so  long  as  the  "  shy  "  is  properly  shut  in. 
Fig.  30  shows  a  suitable  arrangement. 


Flu.  30. 

Another  tip-top  game,  for  the  making  of  which  you  can 
use  broken  clothes  pegs,  is  the  "  ring-board  "  or  "  indoor 
quoits."  This  consists  simply  of  a  board  with  a  number  of 
pegs  projecting  from  it.  The  object  of  the  game  is  to  throw  a 
number  of  rings  in  such  a  fashion  that  they  will  lodge  on  the 
pegs,  scoring  points  according  to  the  numbers  marked  at 
each  peg.  The  board  may  be  hung  on  the  wall,  or  else  placed 
flat  on  the  floor.  In  the  former  case,  the  pegs  must  have  a 
slightly  upward  slant,  so  that  the  rings  will  not  tumble  off 
easily  ;  in  the  latter  the  rings  must  be  upright. 

To  make  either  game,  obtain  a  piece  of  wood  about  18  in. 


33 


square.     You  will  probably  need  to  join  up  boards  for  this. 
If  you  get  three  pieces  of  6-in.  board,  each  18  in.  long,  and 


v  f     i 


FIG.  37. 


secure  these  side  by  side  by  means  of  a  couple  of  battens, 
nailed  right  across  the  back,  the  result  will  be  a  square  of  the 
right  size  (Fig.  37). 


- 3''->  « 6'-—- 

+ (^ i. 

Fio.  38. 


Now  mark  out  the  board  as  in  Fig.  38.     At  the  points  where 
the  dotted  lines  cross  you  will  fix  the  projecting  pegs. 


34  TOY-MAKING   AT    HOME 

For  these  last  take  some  broken  pegs,  and  saw  them 
off  cleanly,  just  above  the  fork.  If  the  board  is  to 
be  a  ground  board,  cut  them  quite  level ;  if  an  up- 
right board,  then  slightly  slanting  (Fig.  39).  These  must 
be  secured  in  place  by  long  thin  screws  driven  in 
from  the  back — the  correct  holes  having  been  bored  in 
the  base  board.  Now  give  each  peg  a  number — assign- 
ing the  higher  numbers  to  the  more  difficult  pegs— 
and  paint  the  number  on  the  back  board  close  to  the 

peg 

For  rings  various  things  can  be  used.  Old  brass  curtain 
rings  jure  suitable  in  some  respects,  especially  for  the  ground 


FIG.  30. 


game,  but  they  are  very  noisy.  Thick  india-rubber  rings 
are  frequently  used,  and  can  be  purchased  quite  cheaply  at 
any  "  games "  shop.  Rings  made  of  stout  cord,  or  thin 
rope,  are  frequently  played  with,  especially  on  board  ship, 
where  the  ground  game  is  very  popular.  Should  there  be 
any  difficulty  in  obtaining  or  making  any  of  these,  then  it 
is  a  very  simple  matter  to  cut  rings  from  a  sheet  of  thick 
cardboard. 

The  great  objection  to  the  upright  game  is  the  nuisance  of 
the  falling  rings.  This  may  be  avoided  partly  by  constructing 
a  cardboard  "  catcher  "  to  fit  underneath.  This  is  simply  a 
cardboard  triangle,  or  rather  two  right-angled  triangles 
joined  together  by  tape  so  as  to  bend  easily  and  be  strong  : 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


35 


these    are    nailed    to    the    two   under    edges    of    the    board 
(Fig.  40). 


Another  splendid  shooting  toy  is  the  Dart  Box.  For  this 
you  need  a  wooden  box  of  some  sort.  Size  and  shape  do  not 
matter  very  much,  but  a  box  with  ends  roughly  square  would 
do  best :  one  15  in.  long,  6  in.  wide,  and  6  in.  deep  would  be 
admirable  for  the  purpose. 

On  the  inside  of  one  end  paint  a  target,  and  number  each 


Fio.  40. 

division,  assigning  higher  numbers  to  the  spots  more  difficult 
to  hit  (Fig.  41).  Now  in  the  centre  of  the  opposite  end  bore 
a  circular  hole  with  a  diameter  of  about  f  in.  ;  and  across  this, 
on  the  outside  of  the  box,  fasten  a  strong  piece  of  ribbon  elastic 
— nailing  down  each  end  with  a  piece  of  wood  (Fig.  42).  For 
the  dart,  take  a  butcher's  wooden  skewer,  and  into  the  pointed 
end  introduce  a  piece  of  a  stout  needle. 

When  shooting  with  this  toy,  hold  the  box  firmly,  open  the 
lid,  fit  the  dart  in  the  hole  from  the  inside,  and  draw  back  the 
elastic.  When  you  have  taken  careful  aim,  close  down  the  lid 
and  let  go. 


36  TOY-MAKING   AT   HOME 

This  is  a  capital  toy,  and  provides  endless  amusement. 
Also  it  is  a  very  desirable  one  as  far  as  shooting  is  concerned, 
for  the  closing  down  of  the  lid  ensures  perfect  safety. 

While  talking  of  making  things  from  clothes  pegs,  we  may 


FIG.  41. 

as  well  give  particulars  of  one  or  two  things  which  will  appeal 
rather  more  to  our  girl  readers. 

A  Key  Rack  such  as  that  shown  in  Fig.  43  is  just  such  an 
article  as  a  girl  would  take  a  delight  in  making,  because  of  its 
simplicity  and  its  prettiness. 

The  only  materials  required  are  two  pegs,  some  hooks,  and 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


37 


a  length  of  ribbon.  Take  the  two  pegs — which  should  be 
nicely  turned  ones — and  wedge  the  prongs  one  within  the  other 
so  that  the  pegs  remain  fixed  at  right  angles.  In  doing  this, 
push  the  pegs  in  tightly,  but  take  care  not  to  split  the  pegs  in 
so  doing.  Using  a  bradawl,  make  a  hole  through  the  junction 


Fiu.  42. 


of  the  prongs,  and  screw  in  a  hook  :  the  common  sort  as  used 
on  dressers,  &c.,  will  do  quite  well.  Now  bore  holes  midway 
between  the  junction  and  the  knobs,  and  screw  in  two  more 
hooks. 

If  now  a  coat  of  enamel  be  given  to  the  pegs — say  green 
in  colour — and  if  ribbons  (pale  blue)  be  tastily  arranged  as 
shown  in  the  sketch,  then  a  very  pretty  and  useful  little  article 
will  result. 


38  TOY-MAKING   AT   HOME 

Yet  another  splendid  little  article  from  pegs  is  a 
Picture  Postcard  Stand,  for  which  the  only  necessities  will 
be  two  pegs  and  a  piece  of  wood  for  a  base  (Fig.  44). 

This  base  should  be  about  4$  in.  long  and  about  2J  in. 
wide.  It  can  be  cut  from  wood  of  any  thickness,  but  a  piece 
about  |  in.  thick  is  the  most  suitable.  Find  the  centre  of  each 


end  edge  of  the  base,  and  draw  a  line  right  across  the  wood. 
If  now  you  measure  in  one  inch  from  each  end  you  will  get  the 
two  spots  to  which  to  affix  the  pegs. 

These  last  must  first  of  all  have  one  prong  removed,  or 
rather  enough  of  a  prong  to  leave  a  quarter-inch  stump  pro- 
jecting. This  stump  should  be  rounded  with  a  sharp  knife, 
and  then  the  whole  peg  should  be  finished  off  with  glass-paper. 
These  pegs  must  then  be  fixed  knob  downwards  on  to  the 
base.  Fig.  39  on  page  34  shows  a  suitable  method  for  this. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS       39 

If  you  are  at  all  skilful  with  your  tools  you  will  be  able 
to  cut  a  nice  moulding  round  the  edge  of  the  base,  and  so  im- 
prove the  artistic  effect  of  your  model. 

Two  thin  coats  of  varnish,  or  of  good  enamel,  will  com- 
plete this  attractive  little  article. 

One  little  wooden  toy,  quite  interesting  in  itself,  and  very 
useful  when  playing  with  "  soldiers,"  is 

The  Windlass. — Some  odd  pieces  of  lath  or  cigar-box  wood, 


Fio.  44. 


a  cotton  reel,  a  length  of  string,  some  stout  wire,  and  some 
glue  and  pins,  provide  all  the  necessaries.  The  cotton  reel 
should  be  the  largest  obtainable. 

Fig.  45  shows  the  completed  work.  First  of  all,  make  a 
square  base  for  the  windlass.  If  the  reel  is  3  in.  long,  cut  off 
four  lengths  of  lath  (or  four  inch-strips  of  cigar- wood  box)  each 
4  in.  long,  and  glue  these  into  a  hollow  square,  two  under  and 
two  over.  Now  cut  off  two  more  lengths,  3  in.  long,  for  the 


40 


TOY-MAKING   AT   HOME 


upright  supports — making  the  top  ends  pointed  to  hold  the 
slanting  covers. 

Before  these  side-pieces  are  glued  and  pinned  into  position, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  insert  the  reel.  Get  a  piece  of  skewer, 
or  lead  pencil,  4  in.  long,  and  glue  it  into  the  hole  in  the 
reel.  At  one  end  of  the  axle  so  formed  will  be  placed  the 
handle.  This  can  be  made  in  several  ways,  either  with  wood 


Fio.  45. 

or  wire,  or  a  mixture  of  the  two  (Figs.  46,  47,  48  show  some 
varieties,  which  may  also  be  useful  in  making  other  toys). 
Holes  just  large  enough  to  allow  the  axle  to  turn  freely  must 
then  be  cut  in  the  side  supports. 

The  two  slanting  covers  should  be  about  4  in.  long,  so 
as  to  allow  a  trifle  to  project  at  each  end,  and  should  be 
from  |  in.  to  1  in.  wide.  The  two  edges  which  meet  to 
form  the  apex  of  the  cover  should  be  bevelled  off  so  as  to 
form  a  clean  join. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


41 


In  making  this  model  it  would  perhaps  be  as  well  to  use 
carpenter's  glue  in  place  of  the  prepared  stuff. 

From  the  material  supplied  by  one  or  two  empty  cigar 
boxes,  many  interesting  things  can  be  made,  especially  articles 
for  use  with  dolls — cradles,  carts,  furniture,  &c.  If  these  articles 
are  of  no  use  to  you,  they  come  in  very  handy  for  presents  to 
little  sisters  and  friends,  especially  when  well  made  and  care- 
fully finished. 

I, 
6 


FID.  4C,. 


Fro.  47. 


FIG.  48. 


A  Doll's  Cradle  is  perhaps  one  of  the  simplest  to  commence 
with.  To  a  box  from  which  the  lid  has  been  removed,  it  is 
only  necessary  to  add  two  rockers.  These  can  be  cut  out  from 
the  lid  by  means  of  a  fret  saw,  and  then  smoothed  down  with 
glass-paper.  Fig.  49  shows  the  best  shape  for  the  rockers, 
which  should  be"  glued  on  about  an  inch  from  each  end  of  the 
box  (Fig.  50).  Great  care  should  be  taken  that  the  two  rockers 
are  as  nearly  alike  as  possible,  otherwise  the  cradle  will  not  swing 
to  and  fro  freely. 


A  Doll's  Cart  is  also  comparatively  easy  to  make,  the  only 
really  trying  part  being  the  cutting  of  the  four  wheels. 


42 


TOY-MAKING   AT   HOME 


For  the  body  of  the  cart  use  a  cigar  box  which  has  been 
deprived  of  its  lid,  and  planed  down  level  round  the  edges. 
To  the  under  side  of  this  body,  and  about  one  inch  from  each 
end,  glue  two  pieces  of  wood  to  which  to  fix  the  wheels.  Streng- 
then these  joins  by  means  of  short  pins  driven  through.  Fix 


Fio.  49. 

the  wheels  to  these  pieces  by  means  of  pins  (Fig.  51).  In  order 
to  support  these  two  wheel-holders,  stretch  another  piece 
across  the  space  between  them,  at  right  angles  to  each,  gluing 
it  firmly  to  the  two  centres. 

The  wheels  should  be  cut  with  a  fret  saw,  if  you  possess  one. 


FIG.  00. 

If  you  do  not  possess  one,  then  draw  out  the  circle  on  the  wood, 
and  cut  the  square  containing  the  circle.  Then  saw  off  the 
corners  to  form  an  eight-sided  figure,  and  go  on  cutting  off 
corners  until  you  get  down  to  the  circle,  which  you  can  finish 
off  with  glass-paper  (Fig.  52). 


43 

A  little  hook  or  ring  should  be  attached  at  the  bottom  of 
one  end,  in  order  that  a  string  may  be  tied  on,  and  the  vehicle 
drawn  along. 


Fio.  51. 

A  Jack-in-the-Box. — One  of  the  most  old-fashioned  of  toys, 
this  never  loses  its  interest.  The  box  required  for  it  is  practically 
cubical :  therefore  6  four-inch  squares  of  cigar-box  wood  must 


be  cut  out.  Two  of  these  will  need  to  be  cut  down  to  3  f  in.  in 
width,  so  that  the  four-inch  bottom  and  lid  will  fit :  so  from 
two  squares  cut  a  strip  £  in.  wide.  Glue  and  pin  together  the 


44  TOY-MAKING   AT   HOME 

two  3$  pieces  and*two  of  the  four-inch  pieces  to  form  a  hollow 
square.  To  this  will  be  fixed  one  of  the  other  four-inch  pieces 
to  form  a  bottom  ;  and  at  the  other  end  the  remaining  four- 
inch  piece  will  be  hinged  (or  wired  on  like  the  lid  of  a  chocolate 
box). 

Before  the  bottom  is  finally  put  on,  it  will  be  necessary  to 


Fiu.  53. 


attach  the  mechanism.  For  this  you  will  require  a  strong 
piece  of  spring  about  6  in.  long  when  released,  and  a  doll's  head. 
One  end  of  the  spring  must  be  fixed  to  the  centre  of  the  base. 
You  can  do  this  by  means  of  tiny  wire  staples  (bent  pins  with 


the  heads  nipped  off)  hammered  over  the  wire  into  the  base, 
and  then  bent  back  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  wood  (Fig.  53). 
At  the  other  end  of  the  spring  a  piece  of  cardboard  must  be 
fixed,  and  to  it  the  doll's  head  must  be  firmly  glued.  When 
the  mechanism  is  complete,  nail  on  the  bottom,  and  fix 
the  lid. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


45 


Into  the  centre  of  the  front  edge  of  the  lid  drive  a  small 
nail,  or  stout  pin,  and  on  the  box  just  below  fix  a  revolving 
catch  hook.  This  you  can  quite  easily  cut  from  an  old  piece 
of  fairly  thick  tin  (Fig.  54).  In  this  way  an  effective  means  is 
provided  of  releasing  the  lid  and  enabling  the  "  Jack  "  to 
shoot  out  suddenly. 


The  Jig-saw  Puzzle  was  at  one  time  a  very  popular  toy,  and 
there  are  signs  that  its  popularity  is  being  revived.     If  it  does 


FIG.  55. 

not  interest  you  particularly,  it  will  provide  a  little  brother  or 
sister  with  endless  amusement. 

In  reality  the.  puzzle  consists  merely  of  a  picture  (generally 
an  interesting  coloured  one)  glued  very  firmly  to  .a  piece  of 
fretwood  or  cigar-box  wood.  This  is  then  by  means  of  a  fret 
saw  cut  into  a  great  many  pieces,  shaped  as  quaintly  and  awk- 
wardly as  possible  (see  Fig.  55).  These  pieces  are  then  jumbled 
up  into  disorder,  and  passed  on  to  the  little  one  in  order  that 
the  shapes  may  be  fitted  into  place  and  the  original  picture 
reconstructed. 


46 


TOY-MAKING   AT   HOME 


Somewhat  after  the  style  of  the  "  jig-saw  "  puzzle  just  de- 
scribed is  the 

Geometrical  Puzzle  shown  in  Fig.  56.  Each  of  these 
consists  of  a  capital  letter  divided  up  by  one  or  two  straight 
lines  into  right-angled  triangles  and  other  geometrical  shapes. 
While  very  simple  to  look  at  when  completed,  these  little  puzzles 
are  by  no  means  easy  to  solve  when  the  odd  pieces  are  given 


FIG.  56. 

in  a  jumbled  state.  The  capital  letters  should  be  drawn  on  a 
piece  of  cigar-box  wood,  and  then  carefully  cut  out  with  a  fret 
saw,  or,  better  still,  with  a  tenon  saw  if  you  have  one.  If  you 
cannot  manage  wood,  then  the  puzzle  can  be  done  in  stout 
cardboard  and  cut  out  with  a  sharp  thin  knife. 

Of  other  cheaply  made  puzzles 

The  Reels  and  String  Puzzle  is  highly  entertaining.     The 
only  materials  required  for  it  are  the  lid  of  a  cigar  box,  two 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


47 


cotton  reels,  two  beads,  and  a  length  of  smooth  string  or  thin 
silk  cord.  The  making  is  simplicity  itself.  All  you  need  do 
is  cut  the  lid  in  halves  and  bore  three  holes  in  a  line  in  one  of 
the  halves.  Of  course  you  can  ornament  your  wood  as  much 
as  you  like,  but  that  will  in  no  way  increase  or  decrease  the 
effectiveness  of  the  puzzle. 

When  you  have  cut  it  out  and  finished  it  off  nicely  with 
glass-paper,  thread  the  beads  and  reels  as  shown  in  Fig.  57. 


FIG.  57. 

Take  special  care  that  you  do  not  make  any  mistake  in  the 
arrangement,  or  your  solution  will  result  in  a  hopeless  tangle. 

The  object  of  the  puzzle  is  to  get  the  two  cotton  reels,  which, 
as  you  see,  are  now  on  quite  separate  loops,  on  to  one  loop. 
To  solve  it  proceed  as  follows  :  Take  hold  of  the  centre  loop, 
and  pull  it  down,  to  its  full  extent.  Now  pass  the  right-hand 
reel  through  the  loop.  Taking  care  not  to  twist  the  cord,  pass 
this  loop  through  the  hole  on  the  right-hand  side,  over  the  bead, 
and  then  draw  it  back  again. 

Now  if  you  follow  the  same  procedure  with  the  left-hand 
reel  you  will  find  that  the  centre  loop  is  released  and  can  be 
pulled  through  the  centre  hole.  Then  will  the  two  reels  slide 
down  side  by  side. 


48 


TOY-MAKING   AT   HOME 


One  thoroughly  entertaining  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  be- 
wildering puzzle  is 

The  Three-hole  Puzzle. — Really  the  puzzle  consists  of  a 
piece  of  thin  wood  with  three  holes  cut  in  it.  These  three 
holes  are  respectively  circular,  square,  and  triangular  (Fig.  58). 


FIG.  58. 


The  problem  is  to  cut  one  block  of  wood  which  will  pass  through 
each  hole  and  at  the  same  time  fit  the  hole  exactly. 

Can  it  be  done  ?     At  first  it  looks  to  be  quite  impossible  ; 
but  there  is  a  very  neat  solution  to  the  difficulty. 


FlQ. 


First  cut  out  your  holes.  To  do  this  get  a  cigar-box  lid 
and  draw  out  the  three  figures,  taking  care  that  the  length  of 
the  side  of  the  square  and  the  length  of  the  side  of  the  triangle 
and  the  length  of  the  diameter  of  the  circle  are  equal.  Now, 
using  your  fret  saw,  cut  out  these  holes  very  neatly  and  precisely. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


49 


For  the  block  you  need  a  small  cylinder  of  wood  :  an  odd 
piece  of  broken  broom  handle  will  do  admirably.  This  must 
be  cut  and  finished  with  glass-paper  so  that  it  will  fit  the  cir- 
cular hole  exactly.  Now  saw  a  piece  just  as  long  as  the  cylinder 
is  wide.  This  looked  at  in  one  way  gives  an  exact  square  which 
will  fit  the  second  hole.  Thus  two  holes  are  catered  for. 

Finally,  for  the  third  hole  the  cylinder  must  be  tapered  on 
two  sides.  To  do  this  draw  a  diameter  at  one  end  and  then 
gradually  pare  away  a  flat  sur- 
face till  the  triangular  section  is 
obtained. 

Fig.  59  shows  how  the  block, 
when  turned  in  different  ways, 
fits  the  three  holes. 


Another  toy  which  can  be 
made  quite  easily  from  cigar-box 
wood  is 

A  Model  Signal. — First  cut 
two  strips  of  wood,  half  an  inch 
wide  and  as  long  as  you  can  get 
them,  which  will  be  8  or  9  in. 
These  will  stand  upright  on  a 
base  board,  and  form  the  sides 
of  the  standard.  Now  between 
these  two  you  must  glue  shorter 
pieces  of  half-inch  strip,  so  as  to  make  the  standard  solid  at 
the  top  and  bottom,  and  leave  a  hollow  slot,  1  in.  long,  in 
which  the  signal  arm  will  fit  and  work  up  and  down  (Fig.  60). 

Now  cut  out  and  paint  a  signal  arm,  about  2|  in.  long. 
Fix  this  by  means  of  a  pin  passing  through  the  two  sides  of 
the  standard,  and  through  the  arm  about  £  in.  from  the  square 
end.  If  it  does  not  move  easily  in  the  slot,  take  off  the  top 


Fio.  60. 


FIG.  61. 


50 


TOY-MAKING   AT   HOME 


surface  with  glass-paper.  Before  fixing  the  signal  arm  in  posi- 
tion, bore  a  small  hole  J  in.  from  the  square  end,  and  knot 
in  a  piece  of  twine  or  thin  wire  to  act  as  a  connection  between 
the  movable  arm  and  the  controlling  lever  (Fig.  61). 

At  the  base  of  the  standard  fix  the  controlling  lever.  This 
consists  of  a  small  strip,  with  a  pin  passing  through  one  end 
into  the  standard.  Adjust  the  length  of  the  twine  or  wire,  so 


Fio.  62. 

that  when  the  signal  arm  is  down,  the  lever  is  horizontal ;  and 
when  the  lever  is  pressed  down,  the  arm  rises.  You  can  make 
a  little  contrivance  for  fixing  the  lever  by  erecting  a  small 
post  close  to  the  standard,  and  gluing  on  two  stops,  under 
which  to  rest  the  free  end  of  the  lever  in  its  two  positions 
(Fig.  62). 

If  you  prefer  it,  you  can  have  the  controlling  lever  at  a 
distance  from  the  signal  post.  You  will  then  need  a  longer 
wire,  and  a  little  pulley  wheel  at  the  base  of  the  standard. 
You  must  exercise  your  own  ingenuity  for  this. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


51 


Another  interesting  little  scientific  toy,  which  has  the 
additional  advantage  of  being  useful,  is  the  Weather  House, 
or  the  Man  and  Woman  Barometer.  This  consists  of  a  little 
house  with  two  doorways,  at  which  appear  two  figures,  one 
in  fine  weather,  and  the  other  in  Hull  (Fig.  63). 


Fm.  03. 

With  patience  and  care  this  is  not  very  difficult  to  make. 
For  the  house  itself  you  can  use  an  old  cigar  box,  or,  if  you 
prefer  it,  you  can  make  the  entire  house  in  cardboard. 
This  is,  of  course,  easier,  but  not  very  durable.  If  you 
are  going  to  use  the  cigar  box,  you  will  need  first  to  cut 
the  lid  and  bottom  into  something  like  the  shape  of  a  house 
end.  You  will  then  have  to  nail  the  lid  down,  and  add  two 
slanting  pieces  for  the  sides  of  the  roof  :  and  that  will  com- 
plete the  house. 


f>2  TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 

However,  before  you  nail  down  the  lid  and  put  on  the  roof, 
you  will  need  to  understand  the  mechanism.  First  you  will 
bore  a  round  hole  in  the  top  of  the  roof,  just  behind  the  front 
gable.  This  hole  is  for  a  round  peg  to  which  the  revolving 
base  is  attached. 

The  actual  mechanism  of  the  toy  consists  of  a  piece  of  cat- 
gut (an  old  violin  string,  or  a  tennis-racket  string).  This 


Fio.  64, 


passes  through  the  centre  of  a  small  flat  piece  of  wood  on 
which  the  two  figures  are  balanced.  Just  in  front  of  the  string 
a  piece  of  wire  (a  bent  hairpin  will  do  admirably)  is  fixed,  so  as 
to  form  a  loop  through  which  the  catgut  can  pass  (see  Fig.  64). 
The  other  end  of  the  catgut  is  fixed  to  the  peg  which  fits  in 
the  hole  in  the  roof. 

For  the  man  and  woman  you  can  use  two  of  the  grotesque 
figures  cut  from  clothes  pegs.     Screws  passed  through  the  re- 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


53 


volving  base  will  secure  the  figures  firmly  and  at  the  same 
time  add  a  little  weight,  and  so  improve  the  balance. 

When  there  is  moisture  in  the  air  the  catgut  will  twist. 
You  must  fit  together  the  different  parts  and  then,  by  turning 
the  peg  to  right  or  left,  adjust  the  position  of  the  figures  so  that 
the  lady  appears  in  fine  weather  and  the  gentleman  in  wet. 


Fio.  65. 

A  toy  of  unfailing  attraction  for  boys — and  girls  as  well — is 

The  Marble  Board. — This  may  be  quite  a  simple  affair — 

such  as  a  boy  can  carry  in  his  pocket  for  use  in  the  playground 

— just  a  piece  of  wood,  such  as  a  cigar-box  lid,  with  a  number 

of  holes  cut  along  one  edge,  and  a  handle  added  (Fig.  65)  ;    or 


Flu.  H6. 

it  may  be  a  much  more  elaborate  form  intended  for  use  as  a 
table  game. 

In  this  latter  case  there  is  a  front  board,  similar  to  that 
in  the  simple  form  ;  but  behind  each  hole  there  is  a  little 
compartment  for  the  collection  of  the  marbles  (Fig.  66).  To 
make  this  you  need  two  pieces  of  wood,  about  2  in.  wide,  and 


54  TOY-MAKING   AT   HOME 

as  long  as  the  table  is  broad  :  any  s6rt  of  wood  will  do.  These 
are  for  the  front  and  back  of  the  contrivance.  The  front  must 
next  be  marked  out  for  the  marble  holes,  allowing  about  1  in. 
for  the  hole  and  1  in.  for  the  space  between.  Of  course,  the 
wider  the  spaces  between  the  more  difficult  it  becomes  to  score. 
These  holes  must  then  be  cut  out  by  means  of  a  fret  saw,  or,  if 
you  do  not  possess  one,  by  means  of  saw  and  chisel.  The  back 
and  front  must  then  be  secured  in  position  by  means  of  end- 
pieces  nailed  or  screwed  on.  These  should  be  about  3  in.  long. 

The  next  piece  of  work  is  the  adjustment  of  the  partitions. 
For  these  cigar-box  wood  is  best.  You  can  either  cut  these 
partitions  to  the  exact  distance  between  the  front  and  the 
back,  and  glue  them  into  position  ;  or  else  you  can  make  them 
a  little  larger,  and  fit  them  into  grooves  cut  into  the  front  and 
back  :  but  that  is  a  nice  little  piece  of  carpentry  for  you. 

When  you  have  done  this,  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  give  the 
whole  thing  a  coat  of  paint,  and  place  numbers  over  the  various 
holes — taking  care  that  you  do  not  put  all  the  high  numbers 
together. 

Boards  similar  to  this  are  used  in  the  Colonies  for  a  game 
known  as  "  Bobs."  Larger  balls  are  used,  and  propelled  by 
means  of  a  cue  as  in  billiards.  If  you  can  obtain  the  balls, 
this  is  a  delightful  game,  and  one  well  worth  making. 

A  Wooden  Wind  Wheel  for  the  garden  is  a  splendid  little 
model  to  make — interesting  in  itself,  but  doubly  desirable  be- 
cause so  much  can  be  done  with  it.  Of  course,  it  can  be  made 
quite  small  and  very  simple,  and  still  provide  unending  amuse- 
ment to  smaller  brothers  and  sisters  ;  but  for  our  own  pur- 
pose it  is  just  as  well  to  make  a  larger  and  stronger  specimen, 
one  which  can  be  employed  as  a  power  station  for  the  working 
of  smaller  toys. 

The  main  parts  are :  (1)  a  circular  hub.  about  2 J  to  3  in.  in 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS       55 

diameter,  and  1  to  1J  in.  in  thickness  (for  the  smaller 
varieties  a  cotton  reel  will  do  admirably)  ;  (2)  six  or  eight  sails, 
each  about  6  or  7  in.  long  and  3  in.  wide  at  the  extreme 
end,  tapering  down  to  a  little  more  than  the  width  of  the 


Fio.  67. 


hub  at  the  other  ;  (3)  a  hardwood  axle  ;  and  (4)  a  driving 
wheel.  For  this  last  a  cotton  reel  will  do  splendidly,  especi- 
ally one  of  those  with  wide  flanges  and  a  slender  centre.  The 
general  arrangement  is  shown  in  Fig.  67. 


50 


TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 


The  cutting  of  the  hub  is  not  a  very  difficult  matter  if  you 
have  a  fret  saw.  It  should  be  cut  across  the  grain  if  you  can 
get  a  suitable  piece  of  wood.  The  sails  also  are  quite  easy  to 
make.  For  these  you  cannot  beat  cigar-box  wood.  The  cut- 
ting of  the  grooves  in  the  hub  for  the  insertion  of  the  sails  is 
the  most  trying  piece  of  work.  These  grooves  should  be  just 


PJC. 


large  enough  to  allow  the  sails  to  fit  tightly,  and  should  be  cut 
at  an  angle  of  45°  across  the  hub.  The  sails  should  then  be 
glued  in  with  carpenter's  glue. 

For  the  axle  secure  a  piece  of  round  wood,  such  as  an  odd 
length  of  half-inch  dowel-rod.  This  should  be  cut  to  a  length 
of  about  4£  to  5  in.  On  this  should  be  fixed  the  wheel  itself, 
and,  at  a  sufficient  distance  to  prevent  the  sails  catching  the 
string,  the  bearing  wheel.  A  French  nail  in  each  end  of  the 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


57 


axle  will  then  secure  it  in  position  between  the  side  supports 
and  secure  an  easy  running. 

If  you  have  a  play  shed  in  the  garden,  this  apparatus  can 
be  erected  at  the  top  of  a  high  post  projecting  through  or  at 
the  side  of  the  roof.  The  driving  strings  can  then  pass  through 
a  hole  in  the  roof  or  the  wall,  and  the  power  can  be  transmitted 
by  a  double  pulley  wheel  and  another  driving  string.  If  you 
have  no  play  shed,  it  is  not  at  all  difficult  to  rig  it  up  outside  a 


FIG.  69. 

window.     You  can  try  that,  and  prove  your  own  inventive 
abilities. 

How  to  use  the  Wind  Power  Machine. — One  thing  which 
this  mechanism  will  drive  in  good  fashion  is  an  overhead  tram- 
way system — a  very  pretty  little  toy  when  in  working  order. 

For  this  all  that  is  required  is  a  number  of  cotton  reels, 
a  length  of  stout  cord,  and  one  or  two  of  the  model  trams  de- 
scribed on  page  21.  If  you  care  to,  you  can  make  proper 
"  standards  "  for  the  cotton  reels.  Fig.  68  shows  such  an 


TOY-MAKING    AT   HOME 


bead 


arrangement.  The  flat  base  is  for  heavy  weights  when  the 
system  is  rigged  up  on  a  table  or  other  place  where  nails 
cannot  be  used.  These  reels  must  turn  freely  to  allow  the  easy 
passage  of  the  cable.  In  one  place  there  must  be  a  double 
reel  (Fig.  69)  for  the  transmission  of  the  power.  The  lower 
reel  will  act  as  the  ordinary  cable  wheel,  while  the  other,  glued 
firmly  to  it,  will  carry  the  driving  belt  from  the  wind  machine 
described  above. 

The  model  trams  must  be  fixed  to  the  cable.  This  is  done 
by  means  of  two  wires,  fixed  to  the  pole  of  the  tram  and 
twined  round  the  cable.  When  this  is 
connected  up  and  the  cable  drawn  tightly 
round  the  standard  reels,  the  vehicles 
circulate  rapidly  on  what  is  really  a 
complete  model  tramway  system. 

Another  interesting  contrivance  to 
which  the  wind  power  can  be  harnessed 
is 

A  Roundabout. — This  attractive  little 
toy  can  be  made  quite  readily  from  one 
or  two  reels,  and  four  ordinary  wooden 
skewers. 

The  first  thing  required  is  a  base  board, 
for  which  any  tolerably  smooth  and  heavy 
piece  of  wood  will  suffice.  Now  in  the 
centre  of  this  fix  an  upright  piece  of  thick 
wire  (a  knitting  needle  will  do)  ;  and 
glue  on  a  cotton  reel  at  the  base  of  this. 

In  order  to  secure  the  absolutely  smooth  running  of  the 
roundabout  it  will  be  necessary  to  improvise  some  sort  of 
"  bearings."  For  this  there  is  nothing  better  than  two  hard 
glass  beads.  If  one  of  these  beads  be  sunk  into  the  top  of  the 


Fio.  70. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS       59 

reel  just  mentioned,  and  the  other  fixed  in  the  bottom  of 
another  loose  reel,  the  upper  one  will  revolve  freely  on  the  lower 
(Fig.  70).  This  loose  reel  will  be  the  driving  wheel  of  the  con- 
trivance and  will  hold  the  power  band  from  the  wind  wheel. 
Fixed  to  this  running  wheel,  and  immediately  above,  will  be 
another  reel  for  the  actual  merry-go-round.  Into  the  sides 
of  this  uppermost  reel  bore  four  holes,  and  insert  the  pointed 
ends  of  the  four  skewers,  arranging  them  so  that  all  four  are 
at  right  angles.  The  running  will  be  facilitated  if  another 
glass  bead  is  sunk  in  the  top  of  this 
reel. 

All  that  remains  now  to  complete 
the  roundabout  is  to  fix  four  figures 
—horses,  boats,  or  similar — at  one  end 
of  each  skewer.  These  figures  can  be 
drawn  on  cardboard  and  cut  out  ;  or 
they  can  be  sawn  from  fretwood. 

Another  interesting  variation  of  this 
toy  is  the 

Fairy  Light  Wheel. — For  this,  in- 
stead of  fixing  figures  at  the  ends  of 
the  skewers,  obtain  four  egg  shells,  and 
suspend  them  by  means  of  wires  from 

the  ends  of  the  arms  (Fig.  71).  Now  if  little  night-lights  or 
odd  ends  of  candle  be  placed  in  the  egg  shells  and  lighted,  a 
very  pretty  effect  is  obtained  when  the  whole  is  made  to 
revolve. 

A  toy  which  is  always  welcome  to  boys  and  girls  is 

A  Pair  of  Scales. — Moreover  this  is  a  toy  which  can  be  made 

quite  accurately  with  the  aid  of  a  few  quite  ordinary  materials. 

To  a  pair  of  scales — or  a  balance,  as  it  is  sometimes  called — 


60 


TOY-MAKING   AT   HOME 


there  are  generally  these  parts  :  (1)  a  balancing  arm,  generally 
called  the  beam  ;  (2)  an  upright  standard  on  which  the  beam 
is  supported ;  (3)  two  scale  pins,  and  chains  (or  strings)  to 
suspend  them  ;  (4)  a  base  bdard  to  which  the  upright  standard 
is  fixed.  Fig.  72  shows  the  sort  of  thing  we  mean. 

Now  of  these  things  not  one  presents  any  real  difficulty. 
For  the  base  board  any  piece  of  wood  about   a  foot  long, 


Fia.  72, 

5  in.  wide,  and  £  in.  thick  will  do  quite  well.  For  the  up- 
right standard  you  require  a  piece  of  wood  about  9  in.  long  and 
1  in.  square — one  end  of  which  must  be  fixed  to  the  base  board. 
The  method  of  doing  this  will  depend  very  largely  on  your 
degree  of  proficiency  in  the  art  of  carpentry.  If  you  know 
how  to  make  a  mortise  and  tenon  joint,  that  will  be  the 
most  suitable.  If  you  cannot  attain  to  that,  then  perhaps 
you  can  make  a  hole  just  as  large  as  the  standard,  and  sink 
the  standard  in  the  base.  If  you  are  not  at  all  an  expert, 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


61 


then  you  must  just  nail  or  screw  your  standard  to  the  centre 
of  the  base. 

Before  you  do  this,  however,  there  is  something  to  be  done 
to  the  other  end.  You  must  cut  a  slot  |  iri.  wide  and  1£  in. 
deep  (Fig.  73a)  ;  then  you  must  cut  away  small  triangular 
pieces  from  the  centres  of  the  tongues  left  (Fig.  736) ;  and 


1C) 


(b) 


Fio.  73. 


finally  you  must  nail  to  the  sides  of  the  V  so  formed  two  little 
strips  of  tin  (Fig.  73c). 

The  next  thing  to  be  constructed  is  the  "  beam."  For  this 
you  will  need  a  piece  of  fretwood  (or  other  thin  wood)  about 
9  or  10  in.  long  and  about  1  in. 
wide.  To  support  this  on  the  metal 
V  pieces  you  will  need  a  thin  piece 
of  steel — such  as  a  piece  of  an  old 
pocket-knife  blade.  This  will  be 
driven  through  the  centre  of  the 
beam,  and  will  project  equally  on 
either  side  (Fig.  74).  Remember,  it 
must  fit  tightly  ;  so  when  you  cut  the  slot  for  it,  do  not 
make  it  too  wide. 

For  the  scale  pans  two  canister  lids  will  do  quite  well. 
Bore  three  holes  in  each  of  the  rims— measuring  off  the  distances 


Fio.  74. 


62 


TOY-MAKING   AT   HOME 


with  a  compass,  so  that  the  holes  are  equally  far  apart,  and 
suspend  the  pans  by  means  of  three  strings  passing  into  holes 
in  the  ends  of  the  beam.  If,  when  you  have  completed  the 
work,  the  beam  does  not  hang  perfectly  horizontal,  then  you 
must  add  weight  or  subtract  weight  from  one  side  or  the  other. 
You  can  do  this  by  paring  off  tiny  pieces  from  the  end  of  the 


Flo.  75. 

beam,  or  you  can  stick  on  dabs  of  sealing  wax  till  the  correct 
balance  is  obtained. 

If  you  cannot  get  any  proper  weights,  then  it  is  not  a  very 
difficult  matter  to  make  some.  To  do  this,  all  that  you  need  is 
to  get  some  cardboard  and  a  supply  of  sand,  and  to  borrow  a 
complete  set  of  weights.  First  of  all  make  a  number  of  little 
cardboard  cubes,  having  sides  varying  from  -|-  in.  to  3  in. 
Draw  each  one  out  on  cardboard  (Fig.  75)  ;  cut  it  out ;  and 
bind  up  with  gummed  tape — leaving  one  side  ungummed. 
On  one  pan  of  the  balance  put  this  thing,  and  on  thp  other  pan 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS       63 

put  a  proper  weight  (say  |  oz).  Now  pour  in  sand  into  the 
little  cube  until  it  exactly  balances  the  correct  weight.  When 
it  does,  wet  the  binding,  and  stick  down  the  remaining  side. 
Finally  print  the  correct  weight  on  one  face  of  the  cube. 

In  similar  fashion  you  can  proceed  to  make  all  the  differ- 
ent weights  that  you  are  likely  to  require,  from  |  oz.  upwards. 
While  not  very  substantial,  these  little  weights  will  last  quite 
a  long  time,  if  they  are  handled  with  care. 

Engines  of  all  sorts  are  always  fascinating  to  boys  and 
girls,  and  later  on  we  shall  describe  some  excellent  ones.  At 
this  point  we  wish  to  describe  what  is  possibly  one  of  the 
simplest  forms  of  engine  known,  and  certainly  one  of  the 
earliest.  It  is  the  engine  driven  by  a  flanged  wheel,  which  itself 
is  made  to  turn  by  the  weight  of  something  falling  on  the 
flanges.  The  commonest  form  of  this  wheel  is  the  water  wheel, 
where  the  weight  of  the  water  falling  on  the  wheel  causes  the 
revolution. 

As  water  is  generally  a  "  messy  "  thing  to  operate  with, 
especially  on  such  a  contrivance  as  this,  we  have  substituted 
something  else. 

For  the  working  of  very  light  toys,  sand  provides  an  alter- 
native motive  power.  If  a  flanged  wheel  be  made  after  the 
fashion  of  a  water  wheel,  and  a  steady  stream  of  sand  allowed 
to  descend  on  to  the  flanges,  then  the  wheel  will  rotate  as  long 
as  the  supply  of  sand  lasts,  and  the  power  may  be  trans- 
mitted by  pulley  wheels  for  the  working  of  some  simple 
mechanism. 

Fig.  76  shows 

A  Sand-power  Engine. — The  large  driving  wheel  consists 
of  two  circles  of  thick  cardboard,  each  about  6  in.  across, 
firmly  glued  together.  These  two  circles  are  bevelled,  and 


64 


TOY-MAKING   AT    HOME 


fixed  facing  inwards,  so  that  a  groove  is  left  in  which  the  power 
band  can  run. 

Through  the  centre  of  the  driving  wheel  thus  fashioned  a 
piece  of  dowelling  or  old  lead  pencil  is  fixed,  projecting  £  in. 
on  one  side,  and  about  1£  in.  on  the  other.  Nails  are  driven 


PIG.  76. 

in  the  two  ends  of  this  axle,  and  the  wheel  is  suspended  be- 
tween supports,  glued  and  screwed  firmly  to  a  base  board. 

The  flanged  sand  wheel  is  next  constructed.  For  this,  four 
oblong  pieces  of  cardboard,  1J  in.  wide  and  about  2  in.  long, 
are  cut  out.  A  line  is  scratched  along  each  of  these  about 
\  in.  from  the  end,  and  the  cardboard  bent  so  as  to  form  a 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


65 


scoop  to  hold  the  sand  for  an  instant.  These  four  flanges  are 
then  glued  to  the  axle,  and  the  side  of  the  driving  wheel.  If 
the  sand  wheel  so  made  is  not  sufficiently  firm,  then  another 
small  cardboard  circle  can  be  glued  to  the  flanges,  on  the  side 
remote  from  the  driving  wheel  :  this  will  strengthen  the  wheel 
and  in  no  way  interfere  with  the  running. 

All  that  is  necessary  now  is  to  erect  some  sort  of  sand 
supply  :  for  this  a  large  canister  wjll  do.  A  tiny  hole  must 
be  punched  in  the  bottom  of  the  tin,  and  a  revolving  trap  made 


Fio.  77. 

with  another  piece  of  tin.  This  is  simple  enough  :  all  you 
need  to  do  is  cut  a  piece  of  tin  about  f  in.  long  and  |  in.  wide, 
and  punch  a  hole  in  one  end.  This  pierced  tin  should  then  be 
placed  so  that  the  unbroken  end  of  the  slip  covers  the  supply 
hole.  A  forked  rivet  should  then  be  passed  through  the  hole 
in  the  slip  and  through  the  bottom  of  the  canister  and  fixed 
in  place  (Fig.  77) ;  the  trap  can  then  be  made  to  revolve,  and 
the  sand  supply  started  or  stopped  at  will.  The  canister 
should  be  placed  above  the  wheel  so  that  a  thin  stream  falls 
on  the  flanges  and  turns  the  wheel. 


C(i  TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 

If  a  string  be  now  passed  round  the  outside  edge  of  the 
driving  wueel,  the  mechanism  can  be  harnessed  to  any  toy  and 
the  motive  power  supplied.  For  instance,  the  contrivance 
can  be  erected  on  a  flat  hull  similar  to  that  shown  in  Fig.  83, 
page  70  ;  and  the  power  band,  passing  through  a  hole  in  the 
centre  of  the  hull,  can  be  connected  with  the  propeller  by  means 
of  a  rod  (in  place  of  the  elastic).  The  resultant  machine, 
though  not  highly  efficient,  is  yet  quite  attractive. 


FIG.  78. 

Another  material  from  which  some  delightful  toys  can  be 
contrived  is  "  tin,"  or,  as  it  is  more  correctly  called,  "  tinned 
iron."  This  is  the  stuff  cocoa  tins  and  mustard  tins  and  many 
other  articles  are  made  of.  Perhaps  the  simplest  toy  we  can 
commence  with  is 

A  Rotating  Snake. — For  this  secure  a  clean  flat  piece  of  thin 
tin  —the  piece  wliich  the  little  patent  cutter  removes  from  the 
top  of  a  round  cigarette  tin  will  do  admirably — and,  using  a  soft 
lead  pencil,  draw  on  it  a  spiral  snake,  such  as  is  shown  in  Fig. 
78.  Now  cut  along  the  lines  with  a  stout  pair  of  scissors,  or 
else  with  a  sharp-pointed  knife.  Pull  out  the  resultant  spiral 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


07 


till  it  is  stretched  as  in  Fig.  79,  and  mount  it  by  means  uf  the 
tail  on  an  upright  piece  of  pointed  stout  wire.  The  serpent 
will  rotate  on  this  for  a  considerable  time. 

If    you   are   good    at   bent -wire   work,    you   will    be    able 
to  make  a  wire  stand  by  which  to  fix  it  on  a  lamp  chimney 


Fio.  79. 

or  gas  globe :   it   will    then    revolve   continuously,  and   with 
considerable  speed. 

A  Tin-can  Steam  Roller. — This  is  a  nice  piece  of  metal  work, 
and,  when  finished  well,  provides  a  proper  little  toy.  To  con- 
struct it  you  need  several  tins — a  round  tin,  such  as  a  cocoa 
tin,  about  2  in.  across  and  4  in.  long  ;  an  oblong  tin,  about 
3 1  in.  by  3  in.  by  2  in.,  such  as  the  larger-sized  mustard  tins  ; 
a  round  cigarette  tin.  about  2  J  in.  across  and  3|  in.  deep  ;  two 


08 


TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 


equal-sized  tin  lids  from  canisters,  each  about  4  in.  across  ;  and 
a  cotton  reel.  These,  the  main  items,  when  put  together, 
yield  a  model  similar  to  that  shown  in  Fig.  80. 

The  fixing  is  quite  a  simple  affair.  With  a  pair  of  metal 
shears  (or  strong  scissors)  you  cut  away  a  portion  of  the  top 
of  the  cocoa  tin,  so  as  to  leave  three  tongues.  Then  on  the 
side  of  the  oblong  mustard  tin  you  mark  three  lines  to  corre- 
spond with  the  three  tongues,  and  cut  them  through  so  as  to 


Fio.  80. 


form  three  slots  into  which  the  tongues  may  fit.  Now,  if  the 
tongues  be  bent  outwards  or  inwards,  then  the  two  tins  will 
hold  firmly  together,  and  give  the  boiler  and  cab  of  the  machine 
(Fig.  81). 

Before  bending  these,  however,  it  is  necessary  to  bore  a  hole 
in  the  under  side  of  the  boiler  for  the  fixing  of  the  front  roller. 
This  is  attached  to  the  boiler  by  means  of  a  narrow  strip  of  tin 
bent  twice  at  right  angles,  and  kept  in  place  by  means  of  a 
forked  brass  rivet  or  a  strong  brass  paper  fastener  so  that  it 
will  revolve  freely.  This  narrow  strip  of  tin  just  fits  over  the 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


f>9 


cigarette  tin— a  piece  of  knitting  needle  being  used  as  axle, 
passing  through  holes  bored  in  the  centre  of  the  bottom  and 
lid  of  the  tin,  and  through  the  ends  of  the  slip. 

For  the  larger  rear  wheels  the  lids  of  two  canisters  can  be 
used,  or,  if  somethng  is  required  giving  a  more  definite  im- 
pression of  solidity,  two  flat  boot-polish  tins  can  be  substituted. 
Another  piece  of  knitting  needle  passes  through  the  centre  of 


Fiu.  81. 


Fiu.  82. 


these,  and  through  holes  in  the  sides  of  the  cab,  and  so  acts  as 
axle.  This  is  kept  in  place  by  means  of  dabs  of  sealing  wax. 

For  the  stack  you  can  use  a  long  thin  cotton  reel,  or,  better 
still,  you  can  fix  on  another  small  tin  by  the  method  shown  in 
Fig.  81. 

The  turning  of  the  front  wheel  can  be  regulated  by  means  of 
two  strings  passing  from  the  two  right- angle  strips  through  a 
hole  into  the  cab.  If  you  can  fix  the  strings  to  a  piece  of  wood 
as  shown  in  Fig.  82,  you  will  be  able  to  steer  properly.  A  hole 
in  the  bottom  of  the  cab.  and  a  piece  of  wood  stretched  tightly 


ro 


TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 


i  V7  J   -.UrVlVJ  A>V.T>       n  .1         IIV/^l.tj 

across  the  top.  should  enable  you  to  set  up  the  steering  ap 
pa  rat  us. 

.1  Working  Motor  Boat. — To  construct  a  motor  boat  tha 
will  travel  a  considerable  distance  is  not  really  a  difficult  matter 
All  that  is  necessary  is  a  piece  of  board  for  a  hull,  a  wood  o 
metal  propeller,  and  a  yard  or  two  of  strong  elastic  :  these 
carefully  adjusted,  will  do  all  that  is  necessary. 

For  the  hull,  a  piece  of  £  in.  or  |  in.  board,  about  18  in 
long  will  do.  This  can  be  cut  to  the  boat  shape  by  means  o 


a  pocket  knife  or  a  spokeshave,  and  finished  off  with  glass- 
paper.  It  should  be  sharp-pointed  at  the  bows,  about  3  in. 
to  4  in.  at  the  centre,  tapering  down  to  a  width  of  2  in.  at  the 
stern.  In  the  centre  of  the  hull  nail  a  block  of  wood,  and  to  it 
glue  two  funnels  (Fig.  83).  For  these,  the  odd  lengths  cut  off 
from  bamboo  curtain  poles  will  do  admirably  ;  or,  if  these  be  not 
obtainable,  a  couple  of  incandescent-mantle  cases  will  suffice. 
The  adjustment  of  the  motive  power  is  the  difficult  task. 
First,  you  will  need  to  purchase  a  couple  of  yards  of  suitable 
elastic  :  this  is  sold  at  most  large  toy  shops,  and  costs  usually 
a  penny  a  yard.  To  fix  this  into  place  beneath  the  hull  you 
will  need  to  construct  two  metal  supports.  If  you  can  get  an 
old  tin  box  made  from  metal  sufficientlv  stout,  that  will  do  : 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


if  not,  then  you  had  better  buy  a  piece  of  sheet  brass,  No.  20 
gauge :  6  in.  by  4  in.  will  be  ample.    Draw  out  these  supports  as 


Fio.  84. 


Km. 


shown  in  Figs.  84  and  85.  and  bend  them  into  shape  as  in  Figs. 
80  and  87-  one  for  the  bow  and  one  for  the  stern.     Screw  on 


Fio. 


Fio.  87. 


the  bow  one  about  ]\  in.  or  2  in,  from  the  point,  and  the  stern 
one  in  the  middle  of  the 


72  TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 

Now  into  the  bow  support  fix  a  loop  of  stout  wire  to  hold 
the  rubber  strands,  making  it  sufficiently  large  to  rest  against 
the  sides  and  so  prevent  turning.  At  the  stern  support  adjust 
the  propeller  bearings.  On  the  care  with  which  these  are  ad- 
justed depends  largely  the  success  of  the  model.  Take  a  piece 
of  wire  (TVinch  brass  is  best)  and  bend 
it  as  in  Fig.  88,  introducing  a  hard 
smooth  glass  bead.  This  "  bead  "  runs 
more  freely  against  the  metal,  and  so 
facilitates  the  working.  Now  stretch  the 
elastic  between  the  two  loops,  arranging 

it  so  that  there  are  six  or  eight  strands. 

Fio.  88. 

To   work  the  model,  turn   the  propeller 

round  and  round  till  the  strands  of  elastic  are  very  tightly 
twisted,  place  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  then  release  the 
propeller.  Fig.  83  shows  the  completed  model. 

All  boys  love  a  toy  that  "  goes  "  ;  and  so  a  short  account 
showing  how  to  make 

A  Steamboat  that  will  actually  travel  on  the  water  will  be 
very  welcome.  Our  boat,  which  in  reality  is  not  a  "  steam  " 
boat,  inasmuch  as  no  steam  is  generated,  is  very  simple  in  its 
construction  and  possesses  neither  wheels  nor  pistons  nor 
cranks,  nor  any  of  the  things  that  one  associates  with  a  steamer. 

The  whole  motive  power  is  supplied  by  one  or  two  candle 
ends,  and  a  bent  piece  of  strong  metal  tubing.  This  last  can 
scarcely  be  called*  either  "  odds  "  or  "  ends  "  ;  and  you  will 
probably  have  to  purchase  it  at  a  shop  selling  model-engine 
fittings,  but  a  few  pence  will  cover  the  cost.  You  must  get  an 
eight-inch  piece  of  solid  drawn  copper  or  brass  tubing,  with  an 
inside  diameter  of  £  in.  (N.B. — Do  not  let  the  man  sell  you 
soldered  tubing,  for  it  will  certainly  crack  when  you  bend  it.) 

The  next  operation  is  the  most  difficult  :    it  is  bending  the 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


73 


tube  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  89.  This  must  be  done  very 
gently,  otherwise  you  will  crack  or  dent  it.  The  loop  shown 
should  have  a  diameter  of  about  f  to  f  of  an  inch. 

The  actual  boat  itself  can  be  of  any  shape.     If  you  happen 
to  have  an  old  wooden  hull  suitable  to  the  purpose,  use  that ; 


if  not,  then  a  flat  hull  similar  to  that  described  on  page  70 
will  do  quite  well.  Fix  the  bent  tubing  at  the  stern  of  the  boat, 
so  that  the  two  open  ends  project  over  the  edge  and  dip  be- 
neath the  surface  of  the  water  (Fig.  90).  Two  pieces  of  wire 
bent  as  in  Fig.  90o  will  hold  the  tubing  in  place. 

All  that  you  need  do  now  is  place  the  candles  under  the 
loop  of  the  tube  and  heat  it.     (If  you  have  a  tiny  spirit  lamp, 


FIG.  90. 

that  will  act  more  effectively,  of  course.)  The  heat  from  the 
candles  makes  the  air  in  the  tube  very  hot.  This  hot  air  is 
expelled  from  one  arm  of  the  tube  ;  and  a  current  of  water 
rushes  up  one  arm  of  the  tube  and  down  the  other  with  con- 
siderable fofce.  It  is  this  current  that  causes  the  boat  to  move. 


74 


TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 


Another  Workiny  Steamboat. — This  time  our  boat  will  merit  its 
name — for  we  shall  have  a  boiler,  and  generate  a  supply  of  steam. 

If  you  look  at  Fig.  91  you  will  get  a  good  idea  of  the  con- 
struction of  this  model,  and  realise  how  simple  it  really  is. 
The  boiler  is  provided  by  a  medium-sized  flat  oblong  tin,  with 
the  lid  soldered  down  so  that  it  is  steam  tight.  For  the  pur- 
pose of  putting  water  into  the  boiler  when  necessary,  a  hole  is 
bored  in  the  lid.  and  a  cork  fitted  tightly. 

In  one  end  of  the  boiler,  and  towards  the  top.  you  must 
make  a  pin  hole.  When  the  water  boils  well,  the  steam  is  ex- 


pelled  through  this  tiny  hole  with  considerable  force  :  and  to 
this  is  due  the  motion  of  the  craft. 

The  remainder  of  the  fitting  up  is  soon  done.  A  flat  hull 
similar  to  that  described  on  page  70  is  prepared,  and  four  flat- 
headed  nails  driven  in,  so  that  the  four  corners  of  the  boiler 
can  each  stand  on  a  nail  head.  The  rudder  is  cut  from  an  old 
piece  of  tin,  and  pressed  into  a  knife-cut  made  in  the  centre  of 
the  stern  of  the  hull. 

The  boiler  is  placed  into  position  with  the  steam  hole  facing 
the  stern,  and  lighted  candle  ends  are  then  placed  underneath 
the  boiler — as  many  as  possible  :  for  the  more  the  candles 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


75 


the  greater  the  heat,  and  consequently  the  greater  the  force  of 
steam.  It  will  help  matters  along  considerably  if  the  boiler 
is  first  of  all  filled  with  hot  water,  instead  of  cold  ;  but  be 
careful  not  to  scald  yourself  in  doing  this. 

When  steam  is  up.  the  boat  should  travel  along  at  quite  a 
comfortable  pace. 

Apart  from  the  materials  dealt  with  there  are  numerous 
little  fragments.  A  pane  of  glass  is 
broken,  for  instance,  and  in  most  cases 
all  the  pieces  are  thrown  away.  Now 
this  is  quite  unnecessary,  for  from 
them  can  be  made  some 

Japanese  Wind  Bells. — Probably 
most  boys  and  girls  have  heard  or  seen 
the  jolly  little  "  wind  bells  "  which  the 
Japanese  people  make,  and  which 
many  English  folk  now  hang  in  their 
houses.  As  they  are  made  simply  of 
slips  of  glass  and  pieces  of  wool  or 
string,  there  is  not  much  difficulty  in 
their  construction  ;  and  they  are  worth 
all  the  trouble  you  take,  for  their  merry 
little  tinkle  is  a  pleasing  sound. 

The  slips  of  glass — they  are  generally 
little  rectangles,  varying  from  1  in.  to  2 
in.  in  width,  and  2  in.  to  4  in.  in  length 
— are  suspended  so  that  when  a  gentle 
breeze  disturbs  them  the  corners  strike 
gently.  To  secure  a  proper  suspension , 
you  can  either  take  a  board,  6  in.  square,  and  hang  the  strings 
from  it,  or  you  can  make  a  conical  wire  frame,  about  Gin.  across 
and  hang  the  pieces  of  wool  (or  string)  from  the  two  rings  (Fig.  92) 


TOY-MAKING   AT    HOME 


The  pieces  of  glass,  which  can  be-  of  any  shape  and  size,  should 
be  fixed  by  means  of  sealing  wax.  It  is  usual  to  give  the  glass 
slips  a  few  dabs  of  colour,  so  as  to  give  a  brighter  effect  at 
night.  If  you  can  introduce  one  or  two  pieces  of  coloured 
glass,  the  same  effect  will  result. 

Other  broken  things,  too,  can  be  turned  to  account. 

One  such  toy,  made  up  of  things  otherwise  quite  useless,  is 

A    Musical  Box. — This  entertaining  musical  toy,   capable 

of  producing  the  most  beautiful  sound  effects,  can  quite  easily 

be  made  with  a  few  broken  wine  glasses.     So  long  as  the  bowl 

part  of  the  glass  is  intact,  it  does  not  matter  to  what  extent  the 

stem  or  foot  part  has  been  damaged, 
provided  there  is  enough  of  the  stem 
remaining  to  insert  in  a  wooden  block. 

The  sound  effects  are  produced  by 
rubbing  the  ball  of  the  finger  gently 
round  the  rim  of  the  glass.  For  this 
the  finger-tip  must  be  absolutely  clean, 
particularly  of  any  grease,  and  must 
be  thoroughly  wet.  Probably  for  the 
first  time  or  two  of  rubbing  nothing 
will  occur.  If  that  is  so.  continue 
wetting  the  finger,  and  rub  it  on  an 
india-rubber  sponge  or  a  piece  of  soft 
india-rubber.  You  will  know  at  once 
when  the  finger-tip  is  in  the  right 
condition,  for  it  will  commence  to 
"  drag  "  on  the  rim.  Eventually  a 
most  beautiful  pealing  note  will  be  emitted,  which  note  will 
alter  slightly  in  tone  if  water  be  poured  into  the  glass. 

If  in  this  way  you  can  secure  eight  glasses  tuned  exactly 
to  an  octave,  then  you  have  the  wherewithal  to  produce  tunes. 


FIG.  93. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


77 


When  you  have  obtained  the  glasses,  then  it  is  quite  easy  to 
fit  them  into  a  box  quite  close  together,  leaving  just  enough 
room  for  the  fingers  to  move  round.  Blocks  of  wood  must 
be  nailed  to  the  bottom  of  the  box,  and  holes  bored  in  these 
blocks  just  exactly  large  enough  to  admit  the  stem  (see  Fig.  93). 

A  Fleet  of  Nutshell  Booty  floating  on  a  bowl  of  water  makes 
a  very  pretty  little  picture— nor  are   these  little  crafts  at  all 


Flo.  94. 

difficult  to  make.  For  the  hull  a  nice  evenly-shaped  walnut 
shell  is  required  :  this  should  be  cleaned  out,  trimmed  with  a 
sharp  knife,  and  scrubbed  with  a  stiff  brush.  For  the  mast  a 
match  stick  will  suffice.  To  keep  this  in  position  glue  two 
match  sticks  right  across  the  widest  part  of  the  hull — one  on 
each  side  of  the  mast — and  then  put  a  daub  of  glue  at  the 
bottom  of  the  hull  and  others  where  the  cross-bars  touch  the 
mast. 

The  sail  consists  merely  of  a  piece  of  paper  with  two  holes 
through  which  the  mast  passes.     A  glance  at  Fig.  94  will  re- 


78 


TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 


veal  the  method  of  fitting  up,  and  show  what  a  trim  little  craft 
can  result  from  such  a  simple  origin. 

One  other  toy  which  has  always  been  deservedly  popular  is 
The  Jumping  Frog.—li  you  are  skilful  with  your  pocket 
knife  you  can  cut  out  a  representation  of  the  animal  from  a 
lump  of  wood,  and  paint  it  <to  make  it  more  realistic.  If,  how- 
ever, you  have  not  the  requisite  skill,  you  can  still  construct 
the  toy  by  using  a  walnut  shell  in  place  of  the  carved  model., 


Fu;.  Uti. 


the 


In  either  case  the  actual  mechanism  for  "  jumping  "  is 
same. 

You  want  a  good-sized  shell,  or  rather  half-shell,  some  very 
strong  thin  twine,  and  a  match.  First  you  must  bore  two  holes 
in  the  sides  of  the  shell,  not  too  near  the  edge,  then  tie  a  loop 
of  twine  round  the  holes  and  the  edge  (Fig.  95).  Now  if  you 
put  a  piece  of  match  stick  between  the  strings,  and  twist  the 
string  by  turning  the  match  round,  you  will  complete  the 
jumping  mechanism  (Fig.  96).  Keep  your  finger  on  the  match 
to  prevent  it  flying  back,  and  carefully  turn  the  shell  upside 
down  on  the  table,  holding  it  all  the  time.  Now  if  you  press 
one  finger  on  the  side  of  the  shell  so  that  it  slips  suddenly  from 
under,  then  your  frog  will  perform  an  astounding  leap  in  the 
air.  But,  in  your  eagerness  to  get  a  big  jump,  do  not  twist 
the  string  too  tightly,  otherwise  the  holes  will  break  out. 

If,  as  mentioned  above,  you  are  skilful  enough  to  cut  out 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS 


79 


the  frog,  you  will  need  to  hollow  out  the  body  so  that  there 
will  be  room  for  the  turning  of  the  match. 

You  can  also  do  very  much  the  same  with  a  fowl's  "  wish- 
bone "  if  you  tie  a  loop  of  string  round  the  two  prongs  and  use 
the  match  as  shown  above. 

The  shell  of  an  ordinary  hen's  egg  does  not  seem  to  give 
much  scope  for  construction.  Yet  much  can  be  done  with  it. 
One  of  the  best  things  you  can  make  is 

'An  Egg-shell  Yacht. — Next  time  mother  is  making  cakes, 
or  anything  which  needs  eggs,  tell  her  you  want  the  shell  in- 


F IG.  97. 

tact,  and  ask  her  to  let  you  blow  out  the  contents.  To  do  this, 
bore  a  small  hole  at  each  end,  and  blow.  Of  course,  if  you  have 
ever  collected  birds'  eggs,  and  are  an  adept  at  egg-blowing, 
you  will  only  need  one  hole. 

Stop  up  the  holes  with  sealing  wax  or  plasticene.  This 
complete  shell  is  to  form  the  hull  of  the  yacht  ;  it  will  be 
necessary  to  add  a  keeL  mainmast,  bowsprit,  &c.,  to  finish  the 
craft 


80 


TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 


For  the  mainmast  get  a  very  thin  piece  of  wood— a  very 
thin  piece  of  bamboo  or  a  piece  of  split  cane  will  do — and 
pass  it  carefully  through  two  holes  which  have  previously  been 
bored  in  the  opposite  sides  of  the  shell.  Let  it  project  an  inch 


FIG  98. 


or  two  below  (Fig.  97a).     Fix  in  position  by  means  of  sealing 
In  similar  fashion  arrange  a  bowsprit. 


wax. 


As  the  hull  is  very  light,  it  will  be  necessary  to  have  a  good 
steadying  keel.  A  piece  of  sheet  lead  about  2  in.  long  and  1  in. 
wide  will  do  admirably.  Secure  it  to  the  shell  and  the  project- 
ing piece  of  mainmast  by  means  of  sealing  wax  (Fig.  976). 

Now   if    this    floats    properly  you    can   proceed  with    the 


TOYS    FROM    ODDS    AND    ENDS  81 

rigging,  which  may  be  as  simple  or  as  elaborate  as  you  please. 
Fasten  the  spars  to  the  mainmast  by  means  of  very  thin  wire. 
(Sealing  wax  will  do,  but  is  not  at  all  reliable  for  this.)  For 
the  sails  use  tough  tissue  paper,  gluing  the  main  and  top  sails 
in  position,  and  fixing  the  jib  and  foresails  by  means  of 
threads. 

The  addition  of  a  cardboard  rudder — fixed  by  wax — will 
complete  a  trim  little  craft  which  will  sail  in  approved  regatta 
fashion,  if  it  has  been  properly  adjusted  (Fig.  98). 

Nor  must  broken  egg  shells  be  despised.  These  can  be 
decorated  with  paints,  and  some  very  amusing  little  articles 
provided.  Legs  and  arms  can  be  added,  fixed  into  'place  with 
dabs  of  sealing  wax  ;  clothes  can  be  devised  ;  and  grotesque 
little  toys  improvised  toys  suitable  for  the  decoration  of  the 
Christmas  tree  or  sale  at  bazaars,  &c. 

Quite  a  number  of  amusing  little  toys  can  be  made  from 
those  cylindrical  cardboard  cases  in  which  incandescent  mantles 
are  usually  sold.  For  the  most  part  the  only  things  needed  for 
the  construction  are  a  sharp  knife  (one  with  a  very  thin  blade 
preferred),  a  tube  of  glue,  one  or  two  odd  pieces  of  cardboard, 
and  some  paints. 

A  Money  Box,  for  instance,  is  always  useful,  and,  by  the 
aid  of  the  paint  box,  can  be  made  very  attractive. 

Take  off  the  two  end  covers,  and  glue  one  end  of  the  case 
to  a  circle  of  thick  cardboard,  about  |  in.  larger  in  radius  than 
the  case.  Now  for  the  other  end  construct  a  conical  top.  To 
do  this,  draw  out  a  circle  with  a  radius  of  about  1£  in.  and  cut 
out  a  sector  (see  Fig.  9,  p.  8).  The  two  ends  can  then  be 
brought  together  and  fixed  with  a  piece  of  glued  tape,  and  the 

whole  thing  can  be  glued  to  the  other  end  of  the  case. 

F 


82  TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 

Before  this  is  done,  however,  the  money  slot  should  be  cut 
in  the  side.  Much  can  be  done  to  make  the  article  attractive 
by  a  judicious  use  of  the  paints.  The  money  slot,  for  instance, 
can  be  regarded  as  the  mouth,  and  a  grotesque  face  drawn 
round  it. 

If  you  care  to  cover  the  conical  top  with  felt  or  flannel  you 


FIG.  99. 

can  make  the  model  very  funny  indeed.  Jn  the  spring  you  can 
damp  the  felt  or  flannel,  and  spread  on  grass  seeds  :  these  will 
grow  and  give  your  grotesque  figure  a  fine  crop  of  bright  green 
hair  (Fig.  99).  Of  course,  if  you  are  going  to  damp  the  upper 
parts  of  the  model,  you  must  obtain  and  use  some  sort  of  water- 
proof glue. 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS       83 

A  Pin-hole  Camera  is  another  extremely  simple  yet  extra- 
ordinarily interesting  contrivance  (Fig.  100). 

For  this  you  require  two  mantle  cases,  one  just  large  enough 
to  slide  easily  into  the  other.  Take  the  smaller  one,  and  cover 


one  end  with  tissue  paper.     This  must  be  done  neatly  and 
strongly,  otherwise,  as  the  case  slides  up  and  down  in  the  outer 


Fio    101. 


one,  the  tissue  will  tear.  You  should  draw  out  on  the  tissue 
a  circle  just  as  large  as  the  end  of  the  case,  and  then  all  round 
draw  and  cut  little  pointed  tags  to  lap  over  the  edges  and  stick 
down  (Fig.  101). 


84 


TOY-MAKING    AT    HOME 


One  end  of  the  outer  case  should  be  covered  with  thick 
brown  paper  in  just  the  same  way,  and  a  tiny  pin  hole  pricked 
exactly  in  the  centre  of  the  brown-paper  end. 

Now  if  a  lighted  candle  be  placed  near  to  the  pin  hole,  and 
if  the  inner  case  be  moved  to  and  fro  till  the  right  spot  is  found, 
an  exact  picture  of  the  candle  flame  will  be  seen  on  the  tissue 
paper. 

A  Doll's  Easy  Chair. — Apart  from  accurate  and  careful 
cutting  there  is  not  very  much  difficulty  in  this.  Take  a 


Fio.   102. 


mantle  case  and  remove  the  covers.  Now  draw  a  line  from 
end  to  end  and  use  this  as  a  base  line,  measuring  the  distances 
to  right  and  left  to  the  different  points  :  this  will  ensure  accu- 
racy. Fig.  102  shows  one  design  suitable  for  the  purpose ;  but 
you  will  possibly  like  to  make  up  your  own.  The  fitting  of  the 


TOYS  FROM  ODDS  AND  ENDS       85 

seat  is  done  as  follows  :  On  a  piece  of  cardboard  mark  out 
a  circle  having  the  same  radius  as  the  case,  and  another  circle 
with  a  radius  £  in.  larger.  Cut  this  out  as  shown  in  Fig.  103. 
Now  cut  a  slot  a  little  more  than  half-way  across  the  case  from 
the  front,  at  a  level  suitable  for  the  seat,  and  into  this  slide  the 
seat.  If  the  slot  has  not  been  cut  far  enough  across,  go  on 


Fio.  103. 

cutting  till  the  seat  fits  correctly  in  the  case.     Then  glue  it 
position. 

All  that  is  now  required  is  a  coat  of  paint,  and  any  orna 
mentation  you  may  care  to  add. 

In  conclusion  we  would  point  out  onco  more  what  we 
stated  at  the  beginning — namely,  that  the  examples  given 
are  intended  merely  to  suggest  ways  and  means  of  making 
countless  other  articles. 


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Edinburgh 


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